In a new Forbes commentary, Louisiana Association of Nonprofit Organizations President and CEO Kelly Pepper joins Jeska Kittenbrink, community director for TheBoardlist—a curated online talent marketplace for female board candidates, in offering tips for responding to sexual harassment in the workplace.
Pepper, who advises executive directors of nonprofit boards, says it’s important that nonprofit boards have policies to manage the potential for sexual harassment and help executives to keep boundaries and set expectations.
The tips include:
- Use #MeToo as a reference point in uncomfortable conversations.
- Create boundaries for meetings with potential donors or board members.
- Ask female colleagues about their experience with an offending coworker.
- Use humor to diffuse uncomfortable situations.
- Use silence in aggressive situations.
- Look for clues in how people behave.
Pepper and Kittenbrink’s tips come on the heels of a recent survey that found venture capital firms and their boards of directors can’t seem to agree on how to tackle workplace sexual harassment, despite the national attention on the #MeToo movement.
The survey by TheBoardlist and Qualtrics found that 22% of boards said they’ve discussed ways to prevent sexual harassment compared to 78% that haven’t.
Additionally, 75% of the boards said they had not taken any action on sexual harassment revelations in the workplace. Reasons for not discussing the topic: “a lack of prioritization” and “threatening to our CEO,” among others.
In comparison, 89% of venture capital firms said they have discussed the #MeToo movement, sexually inappropriate behavior or sexism.
