In the wake of the high-profile hotel employee sexual assault case that ensnared former IMF chairman Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the hotel industry hit the “pause” button to consider how to better protect employees from sexual harassment.
Various ideas were put forth, including several pieces of legislation. One bill would have required hotels to provide “panic buttons” to employees; another sought sexual harassment training for New York hotel staff and managers.
Aside from issuing panic devices or teaching employees to escape situations where they feel their safety is compromised, the real problem for hospitality employers—how to stop inappropriate conduct from occurring in the first place—remains a stubborn adversary.
Two recent scandals highlight the ongoing risks of inaction. Allegations that presidential hopeful and former restaurant executive Herman Cain was involved in several incidents of harassment while leading the National Restaurant Association caused the NRA to take the extraordinary step of admitting that at least one such case involving a female staff member was settled confidentially. Even as the Cain scandal was unfolding, legendary Penn State football coach Joe Paterno was dismissed amid accusations he knew about a complaint of sexual abuse of boys by one of his coaches but failed to deal with the issue effectively.
As these new scandals illustrate, settling accuser claims as they occur, or just ignoring them and thinking that to address them only will create harmful publicity, are failed strategies. The same goes for “forgetting” to report accusations or casting doubt on their veracity as a way of shifting blame to the accusers. Employers can never hope to prevail over harassment if their efforts focus on damage control exclusively.
What actions should employers take to bring the legacy of sexual harassment to a close?
Key No. 1: Recruit managers as if the brand’s survival is at stake (it is). Whether they are developing their internal “bench” or seeking an external candidate, employers must elevate recruitment to a job of key strategic importance.
Key No. 2: Vet all management candidates thoroughly. The necessary time and other resources must be expended in order for the hiring official (as well as the human resources director) to be satisfied completely that any issue in a candidate’s past that could, if revealed, inflict damage, is thoroughly vetted.
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Key No. 3: Model expected behavior. If a hospitality team is expected to behave as professionals, respecting one another and the hotel’s guests, every supervisor must set an example—or work elsewhere.
Key No. 4: Inspect, inspect, inspect. History is littered with the failure of leaders including CEOs and board members who trusted their subordinates too much, didn’t ask questions or assumed “no news is good news.”
Key No. 5: Bake ethics into every decision. From their first day on the job, new employees must know the employer is serious about ethics. While ethics codes are a good beginning, policies only go so far. It is better to build ethics into every training class for all employees and require that management incorporate ethics considerations in their employment decisions.
Key No. 6: After the settlements, follow up. If an employment case must be settled, attorneys want it kept secret in order to limit potential damage caused by further disclosure as well as “copycat” claims.
As fallout from the Cain controversy makes clear, this strategy can and does backfire on employers, particularly when other potential claimants come forward or a manager is forced to recant an earlier denial. While desiring to limit collateral damage from a single harassment claim is understandable, even more important than the secrecy of a settlement is what actions the employer takes to ensure there will be no other claimants. Hoteliers should explore strategies with their employment/labor attorney.
Key No. 7: Listen and “clear the air” often. Silence or the absence of senior management candor on issues such as sexual harassment is an insidious enabler of this type of conduct, fueling employee perceptions that the leadership team is ineffective. Senior managers should require regular updates from HR and every hotel department head about the types of employee issues being heard, particularly those that appear resistant to a solution. All employees should be told about issues of concern, and employee cooperation in reporting alleged wrongdoing should be continually enlisted; the use of an anonymous toll-free telephone “hotline” may empower those who may otherwise be afraid to come forward.
Senior management shouldn’t underestimate its power to slay harassment; when a GM speaks forcefully, openly and candidly about the subject, sexual harassment is robbed of its mystique, and the air is cleared so everyone can breathe easier.
Chuck Conine is a certified senior professional in human resources with nearly four decades of HR leadership. He is resident of Hospitality HR Solutions, the industry’s partner in human capital. Chuck provides clients with practical solutions to HR issues and helps senior managers develop into strategically focused leadership teams. He also partners with clients of HVS Executive Search, Synergy Restaurant Consultants and Cayuga Hospitality Advisors.
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