Satisfied with my contribution, I placed my attention elsewhere.
I dont want to get political, because this actually has nothing to do with partisanship.
So I thought Id begin by sharing a personal story about my #metoo moment.
Being an ally?
It’s free, every week, in your inbox.
I offered emotional support and encouraged her to speak to HR about it.
Then one night after work, several of us went out and had a few drinks together.
The group whittled down to me, my coworker, and the executive.
Instead of staying with her to be a buffer for his advances, I bid a hasty retreat.
The last word I heard her say was, Really?
Luckily, he never became physical or sexual.
Why did I do nothing?
I liked being a bro to this older, more successful, cool guy.
I knew his behavior was inappropriate, and I was too afraid to stand up to him.
I was willing to be an ally to her, but not an advocate.
Heres How To Use It.
Ruchika shares how allyship differs from advocacy.
Advocates take action in the face of risk.
I was also guilty ofpreference falsification, the social danger of defending the wrong people.
Its the principle behind all of the silence regarding Harvey Weinsteins sexual assault for so many years.
One major missed step for many companies to protect their employees is to createbystander interventiontrainings.
This empowers everyone to be an advocate for their colleagues, and creates safer workplaces.
It may even ultimately re-educate men about how to treat women as equals instead of sex objectsor worse.
Miller sought to find the most effective corporate sexual harassment training program, but could not find even one.
She also cites research fromXpertHR,whopolled more than 500 HR professionals.
The small stuff is actually big stuff.
Thats according to mens accountability expert,Peter Qualliotine, who was interviewed in theBattle Tacticspodcast.
There are no magic words and its going to be awkward and people will get defensive.
Just say one word to interrupt like, Ouch.
This bookmarks the conversation for later.
What can men do?
Its been years since my#metoo moment.
In that time, I have had many of these difficult conversations with other men but never at work.
One young man at a festival initiated a conversation by describing his latest sexual conquest.
Among the photos was one with several women sitting inside.
The email said, Does it come wit the bitches?
The perception was that to be accepted I had to act like a man.
You dont have to behave this way my friend.
May this advice serve you well.
His response:
Thank you for giving me pause and perspective.
Sometimes clarity comes when you least expect it.
I would stay present to ensure that she was not left alone with him.
Find out how the 15Five Team is helping companies create spaces where people become their best selves atwww.15Five.com.
