I’m about to kick off my Men Behaving Badly 2018 world tour.

(The first person to tell me “not all men” gets banned for life.)

The tour begins in New York City where I’ll be joined by Kate Bischoff to talk about sexual harassment in the art community. Then it’s off to Boston for further #MeToo conversations and a Friday afternoon appearance on Disrupters Unite.

(Yes, TV on the internet.)

I hear three common themes when #MeToo is discussed.

1. “I don’t have an HR department. How do I know what to do?”

2. “I’m in HR, and we need to follow due process. There are rules. Gotta be careful that we don’t accuse all men.”

3. “I work in HR, but I have no power. This culture is toxic.”

So much learned helplessness at work.

There are angry, simple, flippant responses to those questions. Then there are the more in-depth conversations that create solutions. I hope that the Men Behaving Badly 2018 world tour leads to some answers.

Wish me luck, this week.

3 Comments

  1. Laurie, #2 is bullshit (that’s just some poor HR sap too scared to do what’s necessary). Feel free to quote me on that.

    There are no due process requirements in the private sector. Constitutional due process applies only to the government when it “intends to divest citizens of life, liberty, or property.” Unlike some [federal and possibly some state] public employees, private sector employees do not have property rights to their jobs.

    Procedural due process flows from the concept of “fundamental fairness” and is violated: “if a practice or rule offends some principle of justice so rooted in the traditions and conscience of our people as to be ranked as fundamental.” Snyder v. Massachusetts, 291 US 97 (1934)

    Neither constitutional or procedural due process concepts have a viable application when it comes to the “at-will” employment environment which is prevalent in today’s business environments.

    Okay…hopping off my soapbox now…Good luck on your tour. Say hi to Kate for me!

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