Trump 2005 vs. Today's Workplace

I feel as though a lot has already been said about Donald Trump’s 2005 comments on women, and about his response during last night’s debate. However, one element of this story that I think needs to be emphasized is the fact that the demeaning, horrible comments he made happened in the workplace. He was on that bus to film a segment for NBC to promote The Apprentice, as was Billy Bush. The woman they’re speaking about, Arianne Zucker, is there for work as well. When Trump gets off the bus and grabs the visibly uncomfortable Zucker for a hug-and-kiss greeting – that’s what an inappropriate workplace interaction looks like. Some might call the Trump tape a severe case of workplace sexism, but truly, it’s the sort of thing scores of women have to deal with at work on a daily basis. It’s sickening, yes, but what should be more sickening is the fact that this type of lewd objectification of women is not uncommon in the workplace. It goes without saying that this type of comment should disqualify Trump from the US Presidency, and that women, as Lindy West wrote in the NYT, should grab Republicans “where it hurts” – the ballots. 

Image: Ruth Fremson for NYT via NYT

Greed Driving a Culture of Corruption at Wells Fargo

I’ve commented on Wells Fargo in the past. Consequently, I’m not completely surprised by the new information on the fraudulent accounts opened at Wells Fargo. A disturbing trend I’ve noticed in the financial sector is a tendency for companies to push their employees towards unrealistic sales goals – oftentimes leading to some form of illegal activity. The fake accounts opened by bankers on their clients’ dime is a total breach of trust – but I don’t lay the blame solely at the feet of the employees who engaged in this behavior. The culture that encouraged this behavior is rooted in greed and disregard for their customers. Wells Fargo, more than any other of the ‘big banks,’ has been able to maintain a veneer of caring for customers after the financial crisis. However, it turns out that they aren’t any different than their peers in the banking industry – demanding so much of their employees, that many felt they had no choice but to cheat the system. You can get more information on this at The New York Times.

Image: Eric Thayer/Bloomberg via NYT

Donald Trump Knows Nothing About Sexual Harassment

At the risk of sounding exhaustive, Donald Trump’s statements on sexual harassment are clearly inane – he’s talking about a subject that he obviously knows nothing about. His suggestion that a woman should change her career (regardless of her actual ability to do so) in the face of harassment shows a fundamental lack of empathy and serious regard for an issue that should concern both women and men everywhere. In fact, protections should be in place that prevent a target of sexual harassment from having to switch jobs or careers at all – that’s the whole point. Additionally, Eric Trump’s later attempt to save face by implying that “strong women” don’t allow themselves to be harassed is thinly veiled victim-blaming – plus, his suggestion to go to Human Resources doesn’t take into account that, in many cases, HR can be part of the problem. Targets of sexual harassment in the workplace need to gather documented evidence of the issue so that they have substantive protections when filing a claim, with HR or legally. By continuing to stand with Roger Ailes, Donald Trump is showing how little regard he has for sexual harassment as a problem in and of itself – and how little regard he must have for working people everywhere. Maybe Ivanka is staying “mum” on this subject because she knows her family is wrong on this one, despite being at the center of this debacle. You can read more on this at The New York Times. 

Image: Donald Trump and his children in 2014. Image Credit: Shawn Thew/European Pressphoto Agency via NYT

Athletes Deserve Safe Workplace Cultures, Too: Sex-Testing at the Olympics

This story is completely baffling. If you are a professional athlete, your workplace is the field – and if you’re an Olympic athlete, your workplace is also the testing facility where you’re checked for doping. However, the practice of sex-testing female athletes – or giving female athletes very invasive check-ups to confirm that they are legitimately women if they happen to be “too muscular” or “too manly” to be believed – has completely ruined lives. There have been very few cases of male athletes impersonating female athletes to get ahead in sport, and most of the time, these tests reveal that a given athlete may be an intersex individual – which affects hormones through no fault of their own. While there is some debate about this issue, what it really comes down to is that there has to be a better and more psychologically safe way to handle this situation: revealing an athlete as an intersex individual has almost always resulted in humiliation, and has sometimes resulted in suicide. Fundamentally, this practice of sex-testing is mortifying and shows a fundamental disregard for female athletes competing at the top of their fields. Olympic athletes deserve psychologically healthy, safe and fair workplaces, just like everyone else – and I wish Dutee Chand, the athlete featured in this story, all the luck in the world this summer at the games. You can read more about Chand and the practice of sex-testing female athletes in the New York Times. 

Image: Dutee Chand, by Sohrab Hura/Magnum for NYT

Overcoming Toxic Workplaces

The indicators featured in this story are dead-on. However, while the first step towards fixing “toxic” workplace cultures is to recognize them, more needs to be said about what business leaders can do to fix them. Previously, I’ve suggested the installation of a “chief bullying officer” at companies, distinct from HR departments, who can serve as a resource for improving corporate culture and acting as an advocate for bullied employees. Additionally, the style of leadership at a business informs the culture for the rest of the company. If the CEO is a bully, then there are sure to be more bullies beneath her; if the CEO is magnanimous, professional and attentive to employees, the managers below her will follow suit. Business leaders need to walk the walk before talking the talk about improving their internal cultures. Read more about toxic workplaces at Forbes.

Image via Forbes via Shutterstock