Human Resource Management Assignment 2

Human Resources Management Issues, Challenges and Trends: “Now and Around the Corner”, pages 145–162. Copyright © 2019 by Information Age Publishing All rights of reproduction in any form reserved. 145

CHAPTER 7

A CONSIDERATION OF SOCIAL MEDIA MOVEMENTS ON

GENDER-RELATED HR POLICY Angela N. Spranger and Brenna Gonsalves

INTRODUCTION

This chapter summarizes a review of the literature and media in our investiga- tion of the impact of social media phenomena on corporate human resource (HR) management policies. The purpose of our efforts is to identify, first, if there has been any significant impact on gender-related HR policies attributable to the #MeToo, #TimesUp, or other social media movements. We seek to analyze how current gender-related social media movements encourage changes in business through HR policy. For this preliminary analysis, we seek to indicate what has emerged thus far in the literature, summarize the pilot data from an initial case study, offer implications for research and for practice, and outline next steps for further consideration. In this chapter we assess current literature on the workplace phenomena of harassment (both sexual and psychological), bullying, and gender stereotypes that lead to discrimination. We also examine leadership style, percep- tions and expectations in the context of implicit leadership theory.

C o p y r i g h t 2 0 1 9 . I n f o r m a t i o n A g e P u b l i s h i n g .

A l l r i g h t s r e s e r v e d . M a y n o t b e r e p r o d u c e d i n a n y f o r m w i t h o u t p e r m i s s i o n f r o m t h e p u b l i s h e r , e x c e p t f a i r u s e s p e r m i t t e d u n d e r U . S . o r a p p l i c a b l e c o p y r i g h t l a w .

EBSCO Publishing : eBook Comprehensive Academic Collection (EBSCOhost) - printed on 11/20/2021 9:15 PM via UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND GLOBAL CAMPUS AN: 2006258 ; Ronald R. Sims.; Human Resources Management Issues, Challenges and Trends: 'Now and Around the Corner' Account: s4264928.main.eds

146 • ANGELA N. SPRANGER & BRENNA GONSALVES

Human Resource (HR) Management and Gender-Related Policy: What We Know

In business, HR is the department that deals with all things personnel. That is, HR helps drive, manage, and facilitate the employment life cycle, from recruiting and onboarding to retirement or termination, including strategic HR planning, performance management, training and development, and employee engagement. As the thought leaders and culture monitors of the organization, HR represents the cornerstone of creating change in the workplace. Through effective change management, including organizational unlearning, HR can facilitate more effec- tive team development (even when that means hiring outsiders or terminating noncompliant team members who violate organizational norms) and use employ- ee engagement initiatives that improve sensitivity and inclusiveness, thereby in- creasing productivity and morale. HR management policies and training on those policies can create cultural changes in a business if used properly.

Why Research This Problem Now?

Renowned leadership author and speaker Barbara Kellerman suggested that the last ten years have ushered in an end to traditional leader-follower roles and dynamics. Instead, grassroots movements and follower-initiated campaigns have changed the geopolitical landscape and may have equal impact in corporate set- tings (Kellerman, 2012). While there are many articles written about the social impact of contemporary rights movements, there is no body of literature yet that addresses the impact of these movements on business practices. The recent re- surgence of gay rights, racial equality, and women’s rights movements has gath- ered formidable momentum. Grassroots movements create roles of influence for their initiators and organizers. Pride Marches, #BlackLivesMatter, and #MeToo are changing the social and cultural landscape of America. Hashtags and trends on social media outlets such as Twitter (also Instagram, Facebook, Reddit and Tumblr) allow people all over the globe to lend their voices to common causes. We seek to engage the human resources community in a dialogue that addresses HR policy concerns in light of these social media phenomena, within a theoretical framework.

Since 2016, several high-profile sexual harassment allegations were revealed in various news outlets and on social media platforms, primarily from the en- tertainment industry. Issues such as gay rights, racial inequality protests, and women’s rights movements are not new to America. But in the last few years, ob- servers have noted a significant shift from complacency to activism, particularly in politics and the entertainment industry. These fields have received particular attention in the media due to the myriad allegations of harassment by high-pro- file male figures. For example, Donald Trump, Bill O’Reilly, Bill Cosby, Harvey Weinstein, and Matt Lauer are all celebrities in the entertainment industry who have been accused of sexual harassment or assault. Even after such allegations,

EBSCOhost - printed on 11/20/2021 9:15 PM via UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND GLOBAL CAMPUS. All use subject to https://www.ebsco.com/terms-of-use

A Consideration of Social Media Movements on Gender-Related HR Policy • 147

Trump successfully crossed over from entertainment into politics. O’Reilly main- tained an unrepentant stance and continued to sell books and participate in online and onscreen controversi es. Following the Weinstein allegations, more and more women have publicized similar allegations accusing a multitude of celebrities, from Ed Westwick to James Franco. The common thread is that these were all workplace occurrences, and they did not appear to be stopping.

Even as we prepared this chapter, new reports emerged of major corporations having been forced to address their gender-related harassment policies. Specifi- cally, Nike has “struggled with their efforts to market to women, and they’ve had a lot of talent leave the organization” (Wallace, 2018). Women in workplaces like Fox News, NBC’s Today Show, and Nike’s corporate organization have chosen the “exit” option when they finally tired of misogynistic behaviors, examples of which included males who “constantly would berate women, talk down to wom- en, interrupt,” demean women’s contributions, and perhaps worst and most per- vasive, excuse other men’s disrespectful actions and behaviors. The unfortunate component to these stories is that, as with Nike’s Wallace, often women make the appropriate complaints to management and HR but receive either explicit or im- plicit messaging from the company that indicates the woman herself is to blame, has given mixed messages or otherwise invited the bad behavior, or is too sensi- tive. Or, the messaging may be that it is too difficult to execute the organizational unlearning—discipline, retraining, or termination—or the bad actors. Perhaps the accused is a high value executive, top sales performer, or other “untouchable.” Until the impact of bad behavior in the workplace affects the company’s bottom line, often no change takes place. Certainly, Nike’s “in-house problems” have had a significant impact on retail performance; in the United States market, Adidas and Under Armour are “gaining on them” (Wallace, 2018).

In Wallace’s (2018) case after leaving Nike, though, there is a positive strain of news emerging from the company:

Nike is in the midst of a company-wide overhaul. An informal survey of women at the Oregon headquarters revealed complaints of pay inequity, inappropriate work- place behavior and a lack of career advancement for women. The survey was deliv- ered to CEO Mark Parker. He’s apologized to people who were excluded and called them brave for speaking out.

In the first half of 2018, the President of the company announced his retire- ment. The next day, the Vice President announced his departure. Then, five more senior leaders, and then four more, so that the total in May of 2018 is 11 execu- tives who have either chosen to or been required to leave the company. There is a cultural overhaul taking place, and former Nike employee Wallace attributes it to the #MeToo movement.

An additional unifying factor has been the widespread outpouring of support on social media from female (and male) entertainment industry professionals. With stars opening up about their traumas, more women across the country and around

EBSCOhost - printed on 11/20/2021 9:15 PM via UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND GLOBAL CAMPUS. All use subject to https://www.ebsco.com/terms-of-use

148 • ANGELA N. SPRANGER & BRENNA GONSALVES

the world have felt comfortable adding to the dialogue. Women who have expe- rienced similar workplace hardships use the hashtags and trends to reclaim their confidence and engage in the campaign to “feel seen, safe, and valued” (Spranger, 2015) in the workplace. These women of varying ages are standing up for what they believe and exposing a workplace phenomenon that been, one might say, an open secret for too long. And in some cases, the women raise legal complaints in a timely fashion so that their offenders (and the organizations where they work) may be held legally accountable.

As a result of these cases, some of which resulted in lawsuits and others which negatively impacted the brand of the company, organizations can no longer afford to ignore issues of potential gender discrimination or harassment. The #MeToo, #NastyWoman, and #TimesUp campaigns paved the way for conversations in the workplace. Have these conversations spread to industries other than entertain- ment and news media? As in those industries, women in other sectors have begun to initiate dialogue and point out the unfortunate statistics surrounding these un- comfortable topics. Implicit leadership theories, stereotypes, and leadership per- ceptions all create an image of what employees expect from women in leadership roles, but this often unfairly creates a lose-lose scenario for women interested in climbing the corporate ladder. Potential challenges to this moment of incred- ible cultural shift include women’s perceptions of women in leadership roles, as well as increased hesitation from men to engage in the dialogue for fear of being misunderstood or, worse, accused. The findings of our preliminary and follow-on studies may help executives and HR practitioners to craft more effective harass- ment policies, or to create them where they do not exist. Additionally, our findings may lead to compelling future research opportunities. Recommendations as well as implications for HR practice are provided.

Assumptions

We assume that employees in any organizational context want to “feel seen, safe, and valued” (Spranger, 2015). People want to feel like they are receiving the proper amount of attention and care from their employers. They want to go to work and only worry about work and not their safety. And, finally, they want to feel like what they are doing is appreciated. This chapter is organized around that concept, and will focus primarily on the idea of safety for purposes of clarity. Also, we use the concept of being “seen” interchangeably with being “heard.” Since the goal of social media movements is not so much being physically seen, or visible, as with marches, we focus on the expressed concerns that amplify employees’ voices and reasoning behind why they are speaking up, even using anonymous identities online, for their voices to be heard. Last, some of the so- cial media movements referenced have been highly politicized or are political in nature (such as the #NastyWoman and #IAmANastyWomanBecause movement). Our goal is not to examine the politics but to state the facts about the social media movements and consider their impact on gender-related HR policy.

EBSCOhost - printed on 11/20/2021 9:15 PM via UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND GLOBAL CAMPUS. All use subject to https://www.ebsco.com/terms-of-use

A Consideration of Social Media Movements on Gender-Related HR Policy • 149

PRELIMINARY LITERATURE REVIEW

Well-known psychologist Abraham Maslow (1943), created a hierarchy of needs showcasing the most important needs for humans. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (1943) labels safety needs as second only to physiological needs such as food, wa- ter, and sleep. Unfortunately for women, these needs have never been met fully. Sexual harassment at work, as well as bullying, create an environment for women where they do not enjoy going to work every day nor do they feel safe.

Seen, but Not Safe. There are two primary forms of sexual harassment dis- cussed in college classes and basic HR compliance workshops. The first, quid pro quo, is the one that is usually thought of when considering sexual harassment- “this for that.” In legal terms, this means “making sexual favors a condition of any workplace opportunity” like hiring, promotion, a raise, etc. (Williams & Lebsock, 2018, p. 8). The second form is more ambiguous than quid pro quo: it is the hos- tile work environment. Legally, this form of harassment must be unwelcome, the environment created must be one that any reasonable person would consider to be hostile, and it must be severe or pervasive. Recent HR textbooks separate the hostile work environment into two categories; that of the environment created by supervisors and management, and a separate category for a hostile work environ- ment created by peers, colleagues, customers or suppliers. Sexist comments fall under the category of hostile work environment, and 82% of women and 74% of men have reported hearing sexist comments at work (Williams & Lebsock, 2018). Regardless of type, the number of women who have been sexually harassed at some point during their career fluctuates anywhere between 60–80% depending on the study (Williams & Lebsock, 2018).

The prevalence of psychological harassment, or bullying, is equally dismal. Bullying is a category of antisocial workplace behavior (AWB) that is, as yet, law- ful under federal and state laws. Even California, the leading edge for employee- friendly law, has yet to pass anything stronger than a mandate for employers to provide training on abusive conduct. And “abusive conduct” is defined differently in different states. New York’s definition seems comprehensive:

Abusive conduct means

acts, omissions, or both, that a reasonable person would find abusive, based on the severity, nature and frequency of the conduct, including, but not limited to:

repeated verbal abuse such as the use of derogatory remarks, insults and epithets;

verbal, nonverbal or physical conduct of a threatening, intimidating or humiliating nature;

or the sabotage or undermining of an employee’s work performance.

It shall be considered an aggravating factor if the conduct exploited an employee’s known psychological or physical illness or disability.

EBSCOhost - printed on 11/20/2021 9:15 PM via UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND GLOBAL CAMPUS. All use subject to https://www.ebsco.com/terms-of-use

150 • ANGELA N. SPRANGER & BRENNA GONSALVES

A single act normally shall not constitute abusive conduct, but an especially severe and egregious act may meet this standard. (Segal, 2015, p. 118)

Unfortunately (trust the lawyers to remind us of this), attempting to put too fine a point on what bullying is may create too much of a restrictive work envi- ronment, in which poor performers may use the threat of a bullying accusation to prevent managers from holding them accountable for their behavior, attitudes, outcomes and results.

All across the United States, bullying is legal—if the victim is targeted be- cause she is a competitor, of if the bully behaves equally badly towards everyone on his team. If and only if the bullying behavior is rooted in hostility towards an individual’s protected class status such as “race, gender, religion, national origin, age, sexual orientation or disability” (Segal, 2015). The best that a complainant can do is document the situation carefully, and then if they feel they must termi- nate the employment relationship they may be able to file a wrongful constructive discharge claim based on the documented psychological harassment, or bullying.

Women who work in the service sector, or in low-wage jobs, are the most vulnerable. Hotel housekeepers, late night janitorial staff, restaurant workers, etc. are just a few examples of these types of jobs. In 2011, 37% of the Equal Employ- ment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) complaints filed by women came from the restaurant industry alone- and that was seven years ago. In 2014, in a sur- vey conducted about women restaurant workers, 80% had been harassed by col- leagues, almost 80% had been harassed by coworkers, 67% had been harassed by managers, and 52% of these women were harassed on a weekly basis (Williams & Lebsock, 2018). Unfortunately, the EEOC has not yet published information regarding statistics on business women being harassed at work. An article from an alternate source claims, that from 2005 to 2015 professional, scientific, technical services, finance and insurance, and management made up 10.36% of all harass- ment claims made to the EEOC regardless of gender (Stewart, 2017). While it is less likely for people in business to be harassed overall, harassment at work is still an issue that needs addressing.

Harassment is not the only workplace concern regarding safety. Bullying is another continuous trend making women feel unwanted and unsafe at work. Bul- lying is described by Spranger and Mitchell (2018) as “repeated attempts to tor- ment, wear down, or frustrate another person; it further compromises treatment that provokes pressures intimidates or otherwise causes discomfort” (p. 9). Over- all, it is estimated that 54 million Americans have been bullied at some point in their career (Kane, 2018). According to the Workplace Bullying Institute, 58% of all bullying targets were women (Kane, 2018). In general, 68% of bullying is same-gender, meaning women are more likely to bully women; women bullies choose to target other women about 80% of the time (Kane, 2018). A survey from UCLA in 2011 made up of 60,000 people, found that “women—even those who were managers themselves—were more likely to want a male boss than a female one” (Khazan, 2017, n.p.). This concept is reinforced by Spranger and Mitchell

EBSCOhost - printed on 11/20/2021 9:15 PM via UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND GLOBAL CAMPUS. All use subject to https://www.ebsco.com/terms-of-use

A Consideration of Social Media Movements on Gender-Related HR Policy • 151

(2018) who reported that “one study showed that 95% of women felt they were undermined at some point in their career by other women (Ludwig, n.d., p. 7). In a roundtable discussion about Sheryl Sandberg’s 2013 book Lean In, the concept of the “impostor syndrome” was raised. This syndrome reflects women’s feel- ings of being fake, artificial, undeserving or a fraud when they are recognized for their hard work. Roundtable participants suggested that women need to take Sandberg’s advice and “[o]wn your skills, ability, and work,” (Folz, 2015, p. 103) while acknowledging that this phenomenon is a throwback to previous genera- tions in the workplace. That is, while a woman may be highly qualified and ex- perienced, she still gets evaluated on her looks by men as well as other women. This leads to women questioning what they have to do to simply be recognized for their contributions. And, other women in the dialogue identify more with the fear of being perceived as aggressive or bossy rather than doubting their own skills (Folz, 2015). Spranger and Mitchell (2018) also found that women feel women leaders foster an environment of competition where women subordinates feel they must compete more for promotions as well as both mentorship and development opportunities.

Another way women feel unsafe at work is through sex discrimination. Dis- crimination based on sex is not new for women in business, regardless of industry. In 2014, 74.4% of all the sex discrimination complaints filed with the EEOC were from women (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 2018). It is im- portant to note that these numbers only come from complaints that have been filed and do not accurately represent all of the instances of sex discrimination at work. In the Lean In book, Sheryl Sandberg suggested that women at her company, Facebook, can and should talk openly about their family planning goals. She even stated that she had raised the issue in job interviews (Folz, 2015). Human resource management professionals would cringe at the very suggestion of women being asked about their plans to have children or adopt, as it harkens back to an era when men were paid more because they “legitimately” had families to provide for and women were judged as betraying their feminine duties if they wanted to work full- time. In a roundtable dialogue about Sandberg’s book, several reacted strongly. One said, “it scares the heck out of me to think of managers asking that type of question,” another raised the specter of “legal repercussions,” and a third stated that “as a compliance nerd, I wouldn’t recommend it to my managers. Primarily because I don’t think that [the information] would be used as intended” (Folz, 2015, p. 104).

In the past, businesses paid settlements for harassment claims and swept any other possible damages under the rug through non-disclosure agreements. Many complaints went unreported because back then, it was the complainants (women) who were fired after a claim was made. According to the Harvard Business Re- view, Harvey Weinstein paid out settlements to eight of the women who filed ha- rassment claims against him (Williams & Lebsock, 2018). Williams and Lebsock state that “quiet settlements are now becoming harder to justify. The unceremoni-

EBSCOhost - printed on 11/20/2021 9:15 PM via UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND GLOBAL CAMPUS. All use subject to https://www.ebsco.com/terms-of-use

152 • ANGELA N. SPRANGER & BRENNA GONSALVES

ous firings and forced resignations of famous men demonstrate that companies are moving away from that strategy” (2018, p. 6). With the help of movements like #MeToo, silence is no longer afforded to companies and defendants intertwined in harassment claims. Although more women are speaking up, the big difference now is that they are being believed.

With statistics like these, it comes as no surprise that women do not feel safe at work. Chances of being harassed or bullied at work and in life are incredibly high for women. Women do not even feel supported by one another in their workplace- preferring male bosses over female ones (Jonsen, Maznevski, & Schneider, 2010; Spranger & Mitchell, 2018). Movements like #MeToo are forcing companies to make changes to their policies and practices. Since women have not felt safe, and the current environment created has given women an outlet to speak out, they are using it. These trends, hashtags, marches, and movements are allowing women to be both seen and heard.

Seen

Each of these movements has allowed women to speak up for something they have been silenced by in the past.

Historically, it has been hard to win a sexual harassment suit, but rapidly shifting public perceptions may change that. Seventy-eight percent of women say they are more likely to speak out now if they are treated unfairly because of their gender. About the same percent of men (77%) say they are now more likely to speak out if they see a woman being treated unfairly. It’s a new day for a simple reason: Women are being believed (Williams & Lebsock, 2018, p. 5)

The difference between now and then, is that now both the political environ- ment and the media has created the perfect storm for women to rally together and create a change. #MeToo, #NastyWoman, and #TimesUp are all distinct move- ments focusing on different women’s social issues. Social media is giving women an outlet to showcase how many people are being affected by harassment and discrimination.

Few people know about the origins of #MeToo. Ten years ago, an activist named Tarana Burke created a movement to empower young girls of color; this was when #MeToo was created. However, the story behind this hashtag goes back to 1996 when Burke was a youth camp director. A young girl asked to speak with Burke after a bonding session among all girls. The young girl began to tell Burke about her “stepdaddy” (her mother’s boyfriend) and the things he was do- ing to her during such a vulnerable time in her development. Burke was so over- whelmed with emotions, shocked and horrified, that she stopped the young girl in the middle of her story and directed her to another counselor she thought “could help her better” (Santiago & Criss, 2017). Burke could not bring herself to even whisper the words “me too.” Later, Burke decided to help these young survivors of sexual abuse, and sexual assault- to give them an outlet and a voice- she created

EBSCOhost - printed on 11/20/2021 9:15 PM via UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND GLOBAL CAMPUS. All use subject to https://www.ebsco.com/terms-of-use

A Consideration of Social Media Movements on Gender-Related HR Policy • 153

an organization dedicated to letting others know they were not alone (Santiago & Criss, 2017).

The reason #MeToo has become so well-known is because on October 15th, 2017, actress Alyssa Milano encouraged users to use the hashtag. In light of the Harvey Weinstein allegations, she tweeted this:

Later, Milano tweeted out #MeToo with a link to Burke’s organization, to fur- ther spread knowledge of how to help. The hashtag took off, and people all over the world were using the hashtag as a way to acknowledge that they were not alone and they were no longer ashamed. An immediate bond was created among these (mostly) women, and people could no longer ignore the growing number of people who could relate to being sexually harassed, assaulted, or abused.

Within two days (from the Sunday Milano tweeted, to the Tuesday this article was created), the hashtag was used 825,000 times on Twitter and over 4.7 mil- lion times on Facebook (Santiago & Criss, 2017). “According to Facebook, more than 45% of people in the United States are friends with someone who’s posted a message with the words ‘Me too’“ (Santiago & Criss, 2017). Burke was amazed by this viral movement, but hopes that it moves beyond that- “she wants sexual violence or gender-based violence approached as a social justice issue” (Santiago & Criss, 2017). Tarana Burke wants action and change.

#MeToo has inspired marches around the world. For years, Tarana Burke has hosted survivors’ marches, leading them with a large sign saying “#MeToo” on the front. Even though Harvey Weinstein was the reason behind Milano tweeting, it is not just celebrities being affected by sexual violence. Women all over the world have used the hashtag as a rallying cry to show other women that they are not alone in this fight and that they are not the only ones being affected. Women are demanding to be seen and heard because they are refusing to be silenced.

The #TimesUp movement is a mostly celebrity response to the Harvey Wein- stein allegations. A ‘letter in solidarity’ was created called “Dear Sisters,” to bet-

EBSCOhost - printed on 11/20/2021 9:15 PM via UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND GLOBAL CAMPUS. All use subject to https://www.ebsco.com/terms-of-use

154 • ANGELA N. SPRANGER & BRENNA GONSALVES

ter explain what this movement stands for and what its goals are. One paragraph reads:

Unfortunately, too many centers of power—from legislatures to boardrooms to ex- ecutive suites and management to academia—lack gender parity and women do not have equal decision-making authority. This systemic gender-inequality and imbal- ance of power fosters an environment that is ripe for abuse and harassment against women. Therefore, we call for a significant increase of women in positions of lead- ership and power across industries. In addition, we seek equal representation, oppor- tunities, benefits and pay for all women workers, not to mention greater representa- tion of women of color, immigrant women, disabled women, and lesbian, bisexual, and transgender women, whose experiences in the workforce are often significantly worse than their white, cisgender, straight peers. The struggle for women to break in, to rise up the ranks and to simply be heard and acknowledge in male-dominated workplaces must end; time’s up on this impenetrable monopoly (Time’s Up, 2018).

As you can see, this movement has many goals and covers many topics. Over- all, it is safe to say they are against discrimination based on gender, sexuality, ability, and race. However, this movement may encounter problems with trying to get more women in positions of power. Since women prefer male bosses over female ones, it may be harder than assumed by this movement to get other women on board with the idea of more women in leadership roles.

One of the most significant ways this movement showcased its solidarity was at the Golden Globe Award ceremony in the winter of 2018, when celebrities dressed in black to show their unity for the #TimesUp movement. At this event, many female celebrities decided to bring women activists as their plus one to use their celebrity for a cause. Actress Michelle Williams brought Tarana Burke; actress Meryl Streep brought Ai-jen Poo, the director of the National Domes- tic Workers Alliance (White, 2018). The actresses deferred to their ‘dates’ when asked questions about why they chose to wear all black; to use the opportunity in the spotlight for good and to help instigate conversations around the topic of equality- especially in the entertainment industry (White, 2018).

With the help of these movements, women are now fighting to be seen and heard. Since social media is so wide-spread and anyone can use it from anywhere, women all over the world are coming together. They realize they are not alone and becoming more comfortable speaking up for what they want. Women are refus- ing to be silenced now and pushing hard for the causes they believe in so deeply. With conversations surrounding harassment, degrading language, and equal pay by both politicians and celebrities, women are making changes to the way they are perceived and valued- especially at work. Many of the allegations brought up through #MeToo occurred in some type of workplace, the “nasty” comment was made to Hilary Clinton in her place of work (so to speak), and the Time’s Up movement is focusing on the workplace and equality in pay, numbers, and opportunities.

EBSCOhost - printed on 11/20/2021 9:15 PM via UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND GLOBAL CAMPUS. All use subject to https://www.ebsco.com/terms-of-use

A Consideration of Social Media Movements on Gender-Related HR Policy • 155

Valued

It is important to recognize that perception and value are inextricably inter- twined. The ‘value’ one holds is based on other’s perceptions of that person, or their perceived value. For women at work, their perceived value has been stifled by stereotypes, perceptions of women leaders, and implicit leadership theories (biases). While there are more women in leadership roles now than ever before- for example, there are now 21 women in the Senate, more than there has ever been- women are still being labeled and devalued at work (Pew Research Center, 2017). Women make up 52% of the United States total population, yet “only 20% of the ‘C-suite,’ or top executive roles, are women” (Spranger & Mitchell, 2018).

Stereotypes- while not always accurate- can still create obstacles for women to overcome. According to Jonsen, Maznevski, and Schneider (2010) “we stereotype based on familiar women’s roles” (p. 551) such as mothers, nurses, and teachers. Implicit leadership theories suggest that we have preconceived notions of a leader that form our expectations of them. We expect women to be motherly, nurtur- ing, and accommodating based on these stereotypes. However, “management jobs have traditionally been understood as being constructed according to male norms and thus creating difficulties for women” (Alewell, 2013; Kyriakidou, 2012, p. 4). The management world is still dominated by men, and many “women have identi- fied stereotypes as an important barrier to the most senior positions in business” (Jonson, Maznevski, & Schneider, 2010, p. 552).

Studies have shown that people- regardless of gender, tend to assume a “lead- er” has more male associated traits than female ones (Alewell, 2013; Jonson, Maznevski & Schneider, 2010; Kyriakidou, 2012; Mendez & Busenbark, 2015). “These stereotypes create psychological burdens that may contribute to their low rates of self-promotion and concurrent underrepresentation” (p. 6) and make it hard for any women to be successful in a leadership position (Spranger & Mitch- ell, 2018). Their value as a leader is immediately decreased based on their gender. Also, based on these stereotypes, if women

adhere to traditional “female” characteristics (e.g. nurturing/communal) they are considered too nice and therefore not capable/competent. If they assume more “male characteristics” (agentic) they are considered to be too harsh. Thus women who at- tain leadership positions have to make a tradeoff between being liked vs respected. (Jonson, Maznevski, & Schneider, 2010, p. 552)

Sandberg’s Lean In suggested that women should be more confident and asser- tive, behaviors and attitudes more traditionally associated with male leaders, but HR managers and executives know that the empirical differences between male and female leadership are negligible. The feminine styles of leadership tends to lead women to be “more willing to admit they don’t have all the answers at critical times… more relational… more team-oriented… seeking to understand others… showing the ability to think and then communicate” (Folz, 2015, p. 105).

EBSCOhost - printed on 11/20/2021 9:15 PM via UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND GLOBAL CAMPUS. All use subject to https://www.ebsco.com/terms-of-use

156 • ANGELA N. SPRANGER & BRENNA GONSALVES

Being a woman in a leadership role creates a “lose-lose” situation. Not only do women have to compete against stereotypes and inaccurate perceptions, but as mentioned earlier, they also compete against each other for opportunities in the workplace (Spranger & Mitchell, 2018). Overall, it is a commonly-held idea that perceptions of suitable leadership are indeed influenced by gender- and for women, this is not a positive influence.

The effects of these stereotypes on women “include an undermined sense of identity and belonging, and a decrease in motivation to succeed” (Spranger & Mitchell, 2018). #MeToo and other gender-related movements have laid down the groundwork for conversations surrounding these topics to be brought into the workplace. These movements are fighting for stereotypes, perceptions, and implicit theories to stop being barriers to women moving up the corporate ladder. Their goal is to give women the same rights and opportunities as men at work and in life.

IMPLICATIONS FOR HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PRACTICE

From a practitioner standpoint, there are many changes businesses can consider in light of these movements to ensure their company is creating a fair and equal workplace where everyone feels seen, safe, and valued. Harassment policies must be carefully thought out, elucidated in an employee handbook that clearly states it is not a contract, and then enforced with explicit complaint policies (Segal, 2015). Additionally, it is important to ensure that everyone is well trained on the harass- ment policy. Knowledge and training are pertinent for comprehension of the poli- cies already in place. It is important employees already know the steps they are required to take should anything happen while at work. Since it is not unlikely that a woman will be harassed sometime in her career, it may be beneficial to educate everyone on the many types of harassment. It is not just quid pro quo harassment; there is also hostile work environment and psychological harassment, or bullying that affect people’s working conditions and comfort. Setting the tone right away leaves no room for the excuse “I didn’t know.” Writing down specific definitions for harassment and bullying will leave no loopholes. For example, Segal (2015) suggests that organizations should lay out a definition for what constitutes bul- lying in their company, and specify what types of behaviors may be considered bullying under that definition:

A policy prohibiting bullying should outline examples of behavior that might constitute bullying, such as:

• Mean-spirited “joking” designed to exploit an employee’s perceived weak- nesses.

• Discussing an employee’s performance problems with the employee’s peers or subordinates.

• Yelling at an employee, whether alone or in front of others.

EBSCOhost - printed on 11/20/2021 9:15 PM via UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND GLOBAL CAMPUS. All use subject to https://www.ebsco.com/terms-of-use

A Consideration of Social Media Movements on Gender-Related HR Policy • 157

• Encouraging others to avoid an employee. • Physical intimidation when speaking with an employee. • Sabotaging an employee’s work. • Insulting an employee’s family or friends. (Segal, 2015)

In the current political climate, an unfortunate consequence of the general cli- mate of conversational incivility is that political images (a picture of the current or previous president of the United States with his family, for example) evoke strong feelings in employees, such that

And what about a policy restricting romantic relationships and dating among coworkers? Such a policy may have value should a subordinate and a supervi- sor become intimate—as with radio and media personality Tavis Smiley, who lost his job at PBS due to “sexual harassment and dalliances with subordinates” (O’Connell, 2018). Indeed, it would not be ideal to encounter a harassment lawsuit at work because an intimate relationship deteriorated (Hunt, Davidson, Fielden & Hoel, 2010; Mainiero & Jones, 2013; Smith, 2018). Cultural changes in business often start with policy changes. Having hiring policies that address equality and accountability will ensure minority groups, like women, are taken into equal con- sideration. And, taking careful steps to avoid conscious and unconscious bias in hiring decisions will aid greatly in preparing HR generalists and representatives, Talent Acquisition specialists, and hiring managers for following through on eq- uitable, accountable hiring processes. As Segal explains,

a white male manager may know that gender and race lawfully cannot be considered in a hiring situation. But he, as a white man, may favor a white male candidate over a woman of color based on how ‘comfortable’ he is with each of them, even though he has no idea that his comfort level may relate to race and/or gender.

Unconscious bias, often referred to as implicit bias, is bias that we are unaware of. It happens automatically and without any conscious thought process and is triggered by our brain making snap judgments formed, at least in part, as a result of the mes- sages that we received growing up, as well as our own experiences, culture, mass media and other influences. (2017, p. 75)

To prevent the activation of implicit bias and action taken based on stereo- types, HR professionals can encourage their peers and the managers in the orga- nizations they serve to take the Harvard Implicit Awareness Test (IAT), to assess individuals’ implicit bias in areas such as gender and sexual orientation, race, religion, and age (Segal, 2017). Segal (2017) urges caution here though, HR pro- fessionals should take care with bias testing, as the results of such an instrument are discoverable in case of employment litigation.

Training. While mentioned earlier with regards to policy knowledge and types of harassment, training is a second means by which changes can be made to busi- ness culture. Training involving the awareness of implicit leadership theories ste- reotypes, and perhaps even sensitivity training, might encourage employees to

EBSCOhost - printed on 11/20/2021 9:15 PM via UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND GLOBAL CAMPUS. All use subject to https://www.ebsco.com/terms-of-use

158 • ANGELA N. SPRANGER & BRENNA GONSALVES

be mindful of how they may play a role in making their women peers, and others feel unseen and under-valued. Many people are unaware of the preconceived no- tions/biases/stereotypes they bring into a situation. Having trainings to uncover these biases may encourage cultural change in the workplace by holding people accountable for their part. Sensitivity training follows the same idea; it is “train- ing intended to sensitize people to their attitudes and behaviors that may unwit- tingly cause offense to others, especially members of various minorities” (Google, 2018). Training like this will encourage self-reflection and hopefully start change. A company can only change if the people within it are willing. At the most basic level, businesses are groups of people working toward a common goal; if you can get everyone invested in the same change- change will happen.

With the previously described trends in vocalizing complaints about harass- ment in the social sphere, reputation management becomes a viable cottage indus- try. Company executives may wonder about how their organization and its leaders are represented on the social media platforms that matter to their investors, cus- tomers, and potential high value employees. Rather than throw good money after bad and escalate a commitment to poor, ineffective policies, executives would do well to address the internal causes (and remedies) of harassment. Bottom line, employees have grown weary of the apologies and public statements. They prefer clearly stated policies, procedural steps, and action.

Procedures. How then can you take effective action to protect your company and reassure employees? Employment lawyer Jonathan Segal (2018) suggests that as a direct result of #MeToo, leaders review their sexual harassment policies and at the same time audit the company’s complaint procedure. If the policy is the roar, then the procedure is the teeth that help the organization back up its stated values. One key point to emphasize is that it is not just the target of sexual harass- ment who can, should, and must report the offensive behavior—immediately!— but also anyone else who witnesses the conduct. Reporting systems should not be “radio-button” restrictive, in that the employee must be able to enter the descrip- tion of the behavior in his or her own words. It may be that more of your employ- ees than you expect end up reporting “harassing conduct that is not unlawful” (p. 64). That actually benefits your company, because it reveals layers of data about your organizational culture that you might not see otherwise. The policy and the procedure should both cover all protected classes: racial, ethnic, religious, handi- cap, age, “and other forms of harassing conduct” (p. 64), as well as the sexual and psychological harassment.

A second key point, important to publish widely inside your organization, is that you provide multiple points of contact for employees to report their concerns about harassment policy compliance. An outside consultant can be contracted to receive these complaints and relate directly back to your Chief Executive Officer, Chief Compliance Officer, or other designated responsible party. At the very least, a harassment complaint should be submitted to a chain manager or supervisor and a compliance officer in HR. After all, it may be the supervisor or manager

EBSCOhost - printed on 11/20/2021 9:15 PM via UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND GLOBAL CAMPUS. All use subject to https://www.ebsco.com/terms-of-use

A Consideration of Social Media Movements on Gender-Related HR Policy • 159

causing the issue that results in the complaint! If your complaint procedure sends the employee right back to them, it offers no safety or protection at all. There are businesses that serve as third-party reporting services for large companies, and consultants who can support small to medium-sized companies in this effort. Such arrangements should require the consultant to provide a report to at least two points of contact, both the executive client and HR. Between them, the accused can be notified and appropriate action taken that incorporates the results and rec- ommendations of the investigation.

A third key point is to define, clarify, and explain. That is, it will help your employees to feel safe if they know what behaviors are unacceptable or prohib- ited conduct. It may seem like micromanaging to have to specify such behav- iors, but employees appreciate having clear guidelines. For example, a corporate policy should specify that customers, vendors, and suppliers may be perpetrators of sexually (or psychologically) harassing behavior. Psychological harassment is known in the research literature and in current employment law as bullying. Un- fortunately, while the phenomenon is well documented, no federal or state law stands to make bullying an illegal act, and women, minorities, and members of the LGBTQ community may fall victim to this form of harassment with no legal recourse. Social media and electronic communications, both on and off the job, both professional and “private,” may be tools used for harassment, so this should be clarified and explained in your policy as well.

Fourth, an effective complaint procedure must clarify that not only do you have a zero-tolerance policy for sexual harassment, but you must also have a zero tolerance policy for retaliation or reprisal against the complainant. Your procedure should include coverage for the complainant and any witnesses or others “associ- ated with the complainant, such as a spouse” (Segal, 2018, p. 65). In both train- ing programs and in investigations of real complaints, your company policy and complaint procedure must state explicitly that even if it does not qualify as a legal case, the behavior itself and any type of retaliation against the complainant are absolutely forbidden. Segal states that “[t]he courts are flooded with cases where employees’ harassment complaints were initially dismissed but the judges later ruled that the ensuing retaliation claims had sufficient merit to proceed to trial” (emphasis added) (Segal, 2018, p. 65).

Finally, when faced with a sexual harassment complaint, this is the point at which your organization must “walk its talk,” and manifest its values. Actions truly speak louder than words in this kind of situation—either you have a zero tolerance policy for everyone, or you do not. The President of the company, the Chief Financial Officer’s nephew, the HR manager, must all be equally suscep- tible to the company policy, not just the frontline Supervisor, Planner, or Procure- ment Specialist.

EBSCOhost - printed on 11/20/2021 9:15 PM via UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND GLOBAL CAMPUS. All use subject to https://www.ebsco.com/terms-of-use

160 • ANGELA N. SPRANGER & BRENNA GONSALVES

CONCLUSION

Women are now fighting to be seen because they have not felt safe and valued. Using #MeToo, #NastyWoman, and #TimesUP, women are creating a unified voice that can no longer be ignored by the public or by businesses. They want their causes heard and their right to feel seen, safe, and valued back. Due to the environment created by celebrities and politicians bringing topics of workplace harassment, bullying, and stereotyping into the spotlight, women are feeling more comfortable stepping forward and lending their experiences to these causes. Di- rector and entertainment expert Steven Spielberg has shared many opinions sur- rounding #MeToo and #TimesUp. Spielberg believes there should be a code of conduct at work to eliminate sexual harassment (Blackmon, 2017). He is also quoted saying,

[Time’s Up] is something that is going to change everything for the better… There is always more to come, but the other thing we have to think about is this…Hollywood and celebrity gets a lot of recognition, you can’t just think of this as a Hollywood problem, this is a national problem and probably a global problem (Trendell, 2018, n.p.).

This problem goes beyond actors and actresses. While these groups have been instrumental in launching movements into the spotlight, it is now time to take these proposed changes and apply them to the business world. Cultural change in business is possible- you have to start at the very base level- the people. Where better to start encouraging this cultural shift than the people who deal with person- nel? Human Resources is an influential change agent in every business- changing the policy, and increasing the training will change the people. With movements like #MeToo in the spotlight, now is the time to start moving forward.

REFERENCES

Alewell, D. (2013). Be successful—Be male and masculine? on the influence of gender roles on objective career success. Evidence-Based HRM, 1(2), 147–168. Retrieved from https://0-search-proquest-com.read.cnu.edu/docview/1471843812?account id=10100

Blackmon, M. (2017). Steven Spielberg wants a Hollywood code of conduct to eliminate sexual harassment. Retrieved from: https://www.buzzfeed.com/michaelblackmon/ steven-spielberg-dustin-hoffman-hollywood-code-of-conduct?utm_term=.vf27da- 3KW#.pdzn3VKBv

Folz, C. (2015, June). Lean In HR: A Roundtable Discussion. HR Magazine, 102–105. Google. (2018). Search definition: “sensitivity traininhg.” Retrieved from: https://www.

google.com/search?q=sensitivity+training&oq=sensiti&aqs=chrome.5.69i57j0l5.4 759j1j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

Jonsen, K., Maznevski, M., & Schneider, S. (2010). Gender differences in leader- ship—believing is seeing: implications for managing diversity, Equality, Di-

EBSCOhost - printed on 11/20/2021 9:15 PM via UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND GLOBAL CAMPUS. All use subject to https://www.ebsco.com/terms-of-use

A Consideration of Social Media Movements on Gender-Related HR Policy • 161

versity and Inclusion: An International Journal, 29(6), 549–572, https://doi. org/10.1108/02610151011067504

Kane, S. (2018). Who is a workplace bully’s target? The Balance. Retrieved from: https:// www.thebalance.com/who-is-a-workplace-bully-s-target-2164323

Kellerman, B. (2012). The end of leadership. New York, NY: HarperCollins. Khazan, O. (2017). Why do women bully each other at work? The Atlantic. Retrieved

from: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/09/the-queen-bee-in- the-corner-office/534213/

Kyriakidou, O. (2012). Gender, management and leadership. Equality, Diversity and In- clusion: An International Journal, 31(1), 4–9. doi: http://0-dx.doi.org.read.cnu. edu/10.1108/02610151211201296

Hunt, C. M., Davidson, M. J., Fielden, S. L., & Hoel, H. (2010). Reviewing sexual harass- ment in the workplace—An intervention model, Personnel Review, 39(5), 655–673. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1108/00483481011064190

Ludwig, R. (n.d.). Bad female boss? She may have Queen Bee Syndrome. Retrieved from http://www.today.com/id/42549761/ns/today-today_health/t/bad-female-boss-she- may-have-queen-bee-syndrome/ as cited by Spranger, Angela & Mitchell, Kerry (2018)

Mainiero, L., & Jones, K. (2013). Workplace Romance 2.0: Developing a Communication Ethics Model to Address Potential Sexual Harassment from Inappropriate Social Media Contacts Between Coworkers. Journal of Business Ethics, 114(2), 367–379. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/23433898

Maslow, A. H. (1943). A theory of human motivation. Psychological Review, 50(4), 370– 396.

Mendez, M. J., & Busenbark, J. R. (2015). Shared leadership and gender: All members are equal ... but some more than others. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 36(1), 17–34. Retrieved from https://0-search-proquest-com.read.cnu.edu/ docview/1651370090?accountid=10100

O’Connell, M. (2018, March 23). PBS details Tavis Smiley’s alleged sexual misconduct in countersuit. Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved from https://www.hollywoodre- porter.com/news/pbs-details-tavis-smileys-alleged-sexual-misconduct-counter- suit-1096648

Pew Research Center (2017). The data on women leaders. Retrieved from http://www. pewsocialtrends.org/2017/03/17/the-data-on-women-leaders/

Sandberg, S. (2013). Lean in: Women, work, and the will to lead. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf

Santivago, C., & Criss, D. (2017, October 17). An activist, a little girl and the heartbreak- ing origin of ‘Me too.’ CNN. Retrieved from: https://www.cnn.com/2017/10/17/us/ me-too-tarana-burke-origin-trnd/index.html

Segal, J. A. (2015, June). Attack bullying without being attacked. HR Magazine, 116–119. Segal, J. A. (2017, September). The risks of bias testing. HR Magazine, 75–76. Segal, J. A. (2018, April). Strengthen your harassment complaint process. HR Magazine,

64–65. Smith, A. (2018, January 31). Review your company dating policy in light of #MeToo

movement. Society for Human Resource Management. Retrieved from: https:// www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/legal-and-compliance/employment-law/pages/ dating-policy-metoo-movement.aspx

EBSCOhost - printed on 11/20/2021 9:15 PM via UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND GLOBAL CAMPUS. All use subject to https://www.ebsco.com/terms-of-use

162 • ANGELA N. SPRANGER & BRENNA GONSALVES

Spranger, A. (2015). StepOne Consulting. Retrieved from StepOne Consulting, LLC: www.step1consulting.com

Spranger, A., & Mitchell, K. (2018). Women’s perceptions of working for women: A quali- tative study. Proceedings of the Academy for Human Resource Development Con- ference in the Americas. Richmond, VA.

Stewart, E. (2017). These are the industries with the most reported sexual harassment claims: Most just don’t make the headlines. Vox. Retrieved from: https://www.vox. com/identities/2017/11/21/16685942/sexual-harassment-industry-service-retail

Time’s Up (2018). Our letter of solidarityp. Retrieved from: https://www.timesupnow.com/ Trendell, A. (2018). Steven Spielberg speaks out on Weinstein scandal and Catherine De-

neuve slamming the #MeToo movement. NME. Retrieved from: http://www.nme. com/news/music/catherine-deneuve-2218706

U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (2018), Women in the American work- force, Retrieved from: https://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/statistics/reports/american_expe- riences/women.cfm

Waitman, H. R. (2014). Female HR executives’ contributions to firm performance: The effects of gender on decision-making and strategic-planning. ProQuest Disserta- tions & Theses Global: Business. (1553437235). Retrieved from https://0-search- proquest-com.read.cnu.edu/docview/1553437235?accountid=10100

Wallace, A. (2018, May 15). Nike sees executive departures in harassment reckoning. (E. Morrison, Interviewer) Portland, OR: NPR. Oregon Public Broadcasting, . Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=610445057

White, T. (2018). Golden Globes 2018: Why they wore black and why it matters. Empire. Retrieved from: https://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/golden-globes- 2018-wore-black-matters/

Williams, J. C., & Lebsock, S. (2018). Managing #MeToo. Harvard Business Review. Re- trieved from https://hbr.org/cover-story/2018/01/now-what

EBSCOhost - printed on 11/20/2021 9:15 PM via UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND GLOBAL CAMPUS. All use subject to https://www.ebsco.com/terms-of-use