The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has released a final Report and recommendations based on the input of the agency’s “Select Task Force on the Study of Harassment in the Workplace.” Among the Select Task Force members was NT Lakis Managing Partner Rae Vann.
Culminating an 18-month effort co-chaired by Commissioners Chai Feldblum and Victoria Lipnic that included public testimony, review of research, and the study of theories regarding (among other things) the possible “risk factors” for harassing conduct and the efficacy of traditional anti-harassment training programs, the Report offers a number of “promising practices” that they believe can be effective in decreasing workplace harassment.
Released at a June 20, 2016, public meeting held by the EEOC that coincided with the 30th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling in Meritor Savings Bank, FSB v. Vinson — which first recognized that sexual harassment is a form of unlawful sex discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII) — the Report confirms that unlawful workplace harassment, including harassment on the basis of race, disability, religion, and other protected characteristics, continues to persist at surprisingly high levels across businesses of all sizes.
The Report concludes that traditional, standalone anti-harassment training has done remarkably little to reduce harassing behavior, and that the most meaningful prevention programs combine targeted training with other efforts aimed at exposing and correcting conditions in which harassment tends to fester.
The complete Report and the Co-Chairs’ executive summary and recommendations, along with a video and witness statements from the June 20 hearing, are available online here.
Members of the Equal Employment Advisory Council (EEAC) can read more here.