Harassment in the Workplace: How to Deal with a Hostile Work Environment

We wish that there was no need to write this article. If we had it our way, there’d be no harassment anywhere, let alone the workplace. Unfortunately, that’s a reality seemingly more uncommon than the mythical billion-dollar startup unicorns that are often the culprits of this harassment in the workplace.

Now, we should explicitly state that not all startups are bad and that not all tech companies are an old boy’s club. In fact, there are more than a few very successful startup and mature companies alike that should be applauded for their inclusive and non-discriminatory hiring practices and company culture.

But this article isn’t about them. No, sadly it’s about the few people and companies who ruin it for the rest of us. Still, learning from their mistakes and being honest about potential harassment problems within your work company is a great way to stay ahead of the curve and offer an honest and peaceful work environment.

The result, besides a lack of litigation and bad press, is a more productive and effective workforce that enjoys what they do. To help, let’s discuss the recent rise in harassment in the workplace as well as what we can all do about it.

Why Talk About Harassment in the Workplace Now?

There have been many recent allegations in Silicon Valley regarding sexual harassment in the workplace. Now, we never take this type of abuse lightly, but we also want to openly admit that we’re not privy to the wealth of information surrounding these recent sexual harassment cases.

Still, it’s important to report on the trends and discuss ways in which we can all stop this trend. It all started (well, it all came to light, anyway) when multiple Uber employees accused the company, and CEO Travis Kalanick by association, of unchecked sexism and sexual harassment. After months of controversy, Uber investors asked Kalanick to step down.

But one company doesn’t make a trend. Less than a week after Kalanick resigned, venture capital co-founder Justin Caldbeck quit after six women accused him personally of harassment. And if that wasn’t enough, 500 Startups CEO Dave McClure also resigned after a female candidate accused him of hitting on her during an interview.

In addition to these examples, other people in Silicon Valley have been pointing fingers, too, even if the news coverage is less. The trend unfortunately seems to be more of an epidemic than a blip on the radar.

Why Does Harassment in the Workplace Occur?

Perhaps the best way to approach this isn’t to discuss why we’re talking about this now, but rather why harassment in the workplace happens at all. Specifically, why does it seem to happen in tech companies and with investors who are based in Silicon Valley?

The major reason seems to be the general makeup of the tech industry itself. For example, according to a Crunchbase study, only 7% of partners at the top venture capitalist firms are women, and only 17% of startups have a female founder. What’s more, a 2015 survey by venture capitalist Trae Vassallo found that 60% of women surveyed said they’d been harassed sexually.

With more than 90% of venture capital partners men and fewer than 20% of startup founders female, it creates a power imbalance between the investor and founder. What’s more, the same or similar power imbalance is found between male startup founders and his employees. This is the second major reason for harassment in the tech workplace.

Since many tech companies work nights and weekends and often condone drinking, the chance that a man in a position of power acts with low standards is much higher than in other industries. This isn’t necessarily because of the types of men, but rather the common types of situations that employees find themselves in with colleagues or superiors.

Finally, many tech companies require that employees sign non-disparagement agreements. This makes it hard from a legal perspective to speak up about harassment injustice without risking personal litigation. And when no one speaks up about sexual harassment, it’s much more likely to continue.

How to Deal with a Hostile Work Environment

Luckily, there are a lot of good people in Silicon Valley and among startup companies, too. Not every founder or investor is bad news. In fact, there are many prominent people that are good-natured and trustworthy. However, this doesn’t mean that we can expect the problem to disappear. Rather, we need to take dedicated steps within each of our companies so it doesn’t persist.

As of now, there are 3 realistic ways you can stop a hostile work environment from happening or continuing:

1. Create an HR department — It’s pretty uncommon for a startup company to have an HR department. Usually, an HR department is seen as a luxury of scale and HR duties are typically passed off to an employee with other duties or spear-headed by a senior leader. However, due to recent trends, an HR department is no longer a luxury but is, in fact, a necessity. Further, the person who runs your HR should be independent of other working groups.
2. Draft a sexual harassment policy — As part of your HR initiative, it’s important to clearly define your company’s sexual harassment policy. Pass this policy out to all of your employees and as part of your employee onboarding policy. This ensures that everyone is one the same page and that you can take swift action if anyone breaks the policy.
3. Sign a decency pledge — Speaking of the good people in tech, LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman recently published an article denigrating the actions of these men and calling for startup founders and investors to sign a decency pledge. This pledge, while it isn’t legally binding is a good first step for people who want to hold themselves accountable.

Conclusion

Overall, things in tech (and business in general) need to change. Just imagine the number of people who are too afraid to come forward and speak their truth about harassment. If you want to run a successful company, you’ll need to address these issues with your company as soon as possible.