"Sexual Harassment in The Furniture Industry? More Common Than a Dealer Asking for a Discount"
The Business of Furniture - 4/12/17 Edition
Stephen Says Column

 Dear Stephen:

 
 With everything I am reading in the news today about sexual harassment in the workplace and all those various legal actions being settled, I can’t help but think that part of these settlements is that no one will admit any blame, and the predator or the predator’s company is able to buy people off.
 
 It seems in the TV world, where we see a lot of this alleged behavior getting publicity lately, the allegations and legal settlements are only part of the abusers’ issue. They now have to worry about losing their ad revenue, as we see happen to Bill O’Reilly. Or, if it is a publicly traded company, stockholders will often speak out against their investment dollars being spent on settling lawsuits, and they might even object to having the alleged unsavory characters in their workforce at all. So I guess for some there is justice, not that it makes it any better.
 
 I work for a furniture manufacturer headquartered in the US. One of our executives has had more sexual harassment allegations brought against him (and settled) than new products come out at NeoCon! Here is the thing, this alleged behavior has trickled down the ladder. And trust me, this is not just men harassing women. The women managers in our company are aggressive, too. The gay managers, the straight managers, there are no boundaries, it seems.
 
 I feel like we are one of those hyper-competitive hedge funds where everyone seems to get morning testosterone injections. Most of us are all churchgoers. That means nothing where this subject is concerned. People in and out of the company talk, but it does not seem to affect on our sales. Occasionally, a new salesperson might turn down an offer because of what they’ve heard about the culture, but our bottom line is the same, so I don’t see any reason to think things will change. I now realize I just do not like this culture. It makes me feel dirty and uncomfortable.
 
 How common is this in our industry? Should I move? Is the grass any GREENER elsewhere?
 
 A Bad Way
 

Dear A Bad Way,

 
 I have good news for you and bad news for you. The good news is that the more this is in the news, the more we have brave women and men reporting their co-workers who cross the line, the more support major advertisers give to the cause (maybe even your customers) and the more we push to remove these bosses who use their positions in despicable ways from power, the better this is going to get. 
 
 The bad news is we have a long way to go. I wish this answer was as simple as saying some people (mostly men, but some women, too) are pigs. Unfortunately, it is not that simple. We can’t talk about sexual assault without talking about power dynamics, and nowhere in our lives are power dynamics clearer than in the workplace. Where there is an unequal balance of power, there is an opportunity for those with power to wield it dangerously.
 
 Over the last few years, we have gotten much better at holding people accountable for the ways they use power. It is important to understand that we’re even having this conversation is a good start. Twenty years ago, or even 10 years ago, this O’Reilly story never sees the light of day. Who knows if these allegations even get reported up the chain of command in the ‘90’s. You need to understand part of this whole story — including the situation with your boss — is that the rules changed on these people. Twenty or 30 years ago sexual harassment in the workplace was so widespread it was largely shrugged off. A lot of the people who are getting in trouble now started their careers in environments where this stuff was commonplace.
 
 You may or may not know this is sexual assault awareness month; it was officially established in 2009. I promise that sexual harassment — in general and especially in the workplace — existed long before 2009. I in no way mean to excuse this behavior; there is no excuse for sexual harassment of any kind. My only point is it isn’t going to be easy to change these environments, but we are working on it.
 
 Non-profit organizations like Sleeping Giants work to hold advertisers accountable for their decisions to support people and companies that have proven to not care enough about these important issues. Ultimately, you are right, money talks. And if the bottom line doesn’t change, the argument gets that much harder to make.
 
 So, what about where the bad behavior in your office doesn’t seem to be changing the amount of money your company pulls in? My most basic recommendation is to report harassment to your company hotline or to your HR department. You should always feel comfortable going through this process, and if you don’t, that is definitely a reason to leave your job. If you only feel comfortable going to HR with explicit proof (you shouldn’t have to feel this way, but some people do) use your phone to record your interactions with certain repeat offenders. Recording colleagues or bosses is likely prohibited in your office. But guess what else is definitely prohibited? That’s right, sexual harassment.
 
 In the end, while your company sounds like it has a unique problem, I can’t promise any company in our industry will be totally free of sexual harassment. We aren’t one of those industries overrun with allegations of sexual assault like the financial services industry, but we are far from perfect. That said, there are companies that do a lot of work to create safe and productive environments for their workers. Find one of those places and settle in. You shouldn’t have to leave your job because of handsy harassers, but at some point it is really the best option.
 
 Stephen
 
 You can send your workplace questions to Stephen at: StephenSays@bellow.press.
 
 Questions selected to be answered, will appear in this column. Please use the Subject: Stephen Says for all emails. Stephen Viscusi is a bestselling author, television personality, and CEO of The Viscusi Group, global executive recruiters located in New York. Follow Stephen on Twitter @WorkplaceGuru, Like Stephen on Facebook, and follow him on LinkedIn.