Check out Progressive Needham’s Jan Soma’s new letter in the Globe:
Mass. House is not moving the needle on workplace harassment, abuse
Many thanks to the Globe for reporting about the empty Equal Employment Opportunity officer position in the Massachusetts House (“Empty post has House staff doubting commitment to equity,” Page A1, March 18). The idea was a good one as far as it went. A number of states require harassment education for legislators and their staffs, and many more recommend it. If we are going to lead the way, though, training is far from enough. This training has not been found to move the needle significantly. Harassment and sexual misconduct are baked into our culture, and we are hard pressed to change unconscious tendencies that have gone mostly unnoticed and unpunished for hundreds of years.
What’s more, it is common sense that staff are unlikely to confide in someone who is hired and fired by the Legislature, the very body that must be scrutinized. This position must be fully independent. And there must be transparency and data to assess whether progress is being made. The best way to measure the degree of the problem and whether improvements are being made is an anonymous survey of the workplace climate. The results should be made public to improve trust.
Most leaders have little to no information about the degree of harassment or abuse in their workplaces. Workers who are harassed tend to be those with the least power, and most historically have remained silent. This silence encourages leaders’ complacency. The recently passed federal Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act of 2021will eventually give employers more information because workers will have additional tools to stand up and fight.
I would challenge our Legislature not to wait, and to lead the way to increasing the safety and dignity of our workforce.
Jan Soma
Needham
