By David Harder on December, 12, 2017

Today’s Sexual Harassment Shock Wave & the bigger revolution behind it

Harvey Weinstein, Matt Lauer, Kevin Spacey, Mark Halperin, Bill O’Reilly, Mario Batali, Al Franken and dozens of other celebrities, politicians, and CEOs have one issue in common. You probably know what that is. Why am I so confident you will know? Almost everyone knows. Today’s sexual harassment scandals represent more than just a cultural shift with predatory sexual behavior. We are witnessing nothing less than a tipping point and a growing tsunami of transparency, one of the many revolutions brought on by advancing technology. Organizations are only beginning to recognize how quickly transparency is changing our lives, the way we do business and our collective loss of privacy. Regarding recent events, many hope that employers are finally living up to a zero-tolerance policy and they will stop perpetuating sexual assault by ending payoffs behind closed doors. This practice has long impacted victims with the message that protecting ratings and profits are far more important than developing cultural integrity.

That said, does this growing avalanche of disclosure demonstrate an even far bigger trend?

It does.

Many of our most famous perpetrators grew up in a time when the rich and powerful were led to believe they could get away with just about anything. It is difficult to imagine anyone would have been so brazen had they realized that transparency would transmit his or her actions into the minds of millions.

The transparency revolution is also throwing open the doors to great, mediocre and nightmarish employers. Today’s employment candidate can quickly learn enough to know whether a hiring manager is telling the truth or lying. Many of the worst employers are complaining that Indeed and Glassdoor are a fad that is “ruining their candidate pool.”

Two years ago, the beginning transparency revolution unearthed banking giant Well’s Fargo’s criminal deeds towards its customers with over 1.5 million unauthorized accounts opened and charged to customers. Apparently, the delusion and the need to exploit isn’t getting through to the shuffled senior managers. This past month, the public has heard of two new scandals at the bank, all based on trying to bilk even more out of mortgage and auto loan customers.

Transparency is shining a light so bright on organizations, leaders, politicians, and celebrities, who’s next? Well, let’s be candid. All of us have lost our privacy. For example, when I decided to look for my birth mother, we found her in 6 hours.

The most successful and modern employers practice transparency at all levels. Everyone’s performance is in the open light. Employee engagement is practiced and led by the CEO. Teams are so engaged that anyone who falls behind is quickly pulled forward. Hiding is quickly becoming the game of amateurs and con artists.

In conclusion, here are a few simple suggestions with big payoffs:

Live life with nothing to hide
Run your organization with nothing to hide
Get rid of silos
Whatever you want your employees to do, do it yourself
Provide everyone’s performance in the open
Practice total integrity in marketing and service to your customers
Instead of making payoffs, get rid of any sources of malfeasance

Really? Here is a little case study from just this morning. We have been getting complaints about the high-speed Internet that is installed in our office and house. We have been paying a sizeable premium for this service. So, our technology consultant measured its speed, which turned out to be lower than the basic Internet provided by Spectrum. Ah, Spectrum, a child of Time Warner Cable and Charter Communications. The two parents of Spectrum made so many “most hated companies in America” lists that Paul Allen had it spun off and they slapped on a new name. After getting our readings on Internet speed, a few strokes on Google led us to the class-action lawsuit taking place right now against Spectrum for bilking its customers by lying about Internet speed and adding dozens of charges with a price that is, on average, five times the amounts advertised on Television. Some will respond, “But, that’s the norm.”

No, it will no longer be the norm. Today’s technology has given us the capacity to transmit bad and/or criminal behavior at the speed of light. Millions of whistleblowers hold recording devices in the palms of their hands. One story now gives births to other stories in an eye blink. In many ways, I believe the story of transparency is as important for us to tell as the tipping point against sexual harassment. Now, is the time to let vendors, employers, clients, co-workers, stakeholders, and others to hear today’s very important reality.

We see you.

Brought to you by David Harder, President – Inspired Work, Inc.

If you would like to discuss your workplace or your career with David Harder, schedule fifteen-minutes, Here.