On Tuesday March 20th, Cornell ILR hosted New York State Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, President Martha Pollack and a panel of professionals to discuss the pressing issue of sexual harassment in the workplace. The speakers openly and honestly discussed their personal thoughts on the issue and their beliefs about how to achieve change, from policy and law to workplace culture and power structures. While they made it evident that it will not be easy or immediate, the speakers instilled a strong and positive belief that change is possible.
Senator Gillibrand opened the event with a statement about the simple principle that sexual harassment ignores: that we should care about one another. This theme seemed to run through her discussion of the bipartisan policy she supports: coalitions working together, public activism, and women running for Congress. While she emphasized the important impacts her proposed bills would have on sexual harassment in the workplace and in Congress, she also stated the broader and basic need for policies that respect and protect women.
The ILR panel began with a definition of sexual harassment in the workplace given by Mark Brossman, a practicing attorney. He explained how the issue is framed in the eyes of the law. Christine Pambianchi of Corning Incorporated discussed how the issue has transcended generations; when she entered the workforce over 20 years ago, she did not expect so few women to be in management in her field. Today, she thinks some still may not realize there is a lot of work to be done. As students about to enter the workforce, this was likely an important realization for many in the audience.
Another eye-opening moment for many students about to start professional jobs was the discussion of mandatory arbitration clauses. ILR Professor Alexander Colvin discussed how many hiring contracts include these clauses requiring issues about sexual harassment to be privately handled within the company rather than in a court of law.
Professor Lisa Nishii discussed predictors of harassment in the workplace, citing organizational workplace climate, reporting measures and risks of reporting as some of the largest indicators. She also emphasized that an additionally strong predictor is how male-dominated a workplace is, which echoed previous comments about gender equality in leadership and the workplace in general.
The talk ended with positive thoughts for seeing change on the horizon. The panelists agreed that change could come in the next time period, conditioned on the requirement that we continue working to equalize power leadership structures, ensure sexual harassment training measures are effective, and penalize companies appropriately.
The discussion was comprehensive and far-reaching due to how it approached the issue from several different angles: legal, practical and personal. The variety of backgrounds of the panel speakers specifically allowed the audience to understand how culture and policy can lead to instances of sexual harassment in the workplace in practice. The different perspectives also gave insight into what types of policies are and are not feasible in terms of achieving change.
The seriousness and pervasiveness of sexual harassment deserves appropriate forums for discussion, and the ILR-sponsored event provided this. The event was a commendable and impactful action on Cornell’s part, and it instilled ideas of hope for positive change in the future. In a time when it seems as though our political and social climate will remain toxic and ridden with hostility, this glimmer of hope was much needed. It will not be easy, but open discussions and awareness are a step in the right direction for change.
