A New Worry for Leaders!

A New Worry for Leaders!

WATCH YOUR BACK: As if leaders did not have enough to fuss about with various employment lawsuits, Corona back-to-work confusion, a shortage of qualified workers, and financial woes brought on by the pandemic, now you need to be concerned with sophisticated PR techniques from alleged discrimination, harassment, and other workplace mistreatment victims.

POTENTIAL PUBLIC RELATIONS NIGHTMARES: Because many victims feel out matched by the large corporate entities they are suing, they’ve started to turn to a new ploy: telling their stories through the media, with the help of a specialized PR firm. The newish firm, Lioness, founded by two accomplished PR pros, helps claimants craft their stories and seek appropriate outlets for their narratives. Read how the world learns about bosses behaving badly.

In a well-placed New York Times piece this week, the firm describes its work as “We’ve noticed that stories change hearts…. It’s much more effective than the legal case, in a way…. We think of ourselves as an intake and conduit for them to know how to tell their story.”

After vetting and corroborating the allegations, the firm works with a law firm that reviews nondisclosure agreements to avoid that legal minefield. What the firm finds is that most businesses involved know that it will reflect badly on them to sue employees who speak up about bosses behaving badly and other mistreatment, so they believe the risk of a countersuit is slim. In addition, in New York and California, for example, there are some new protections for victims of sexual misconduct who speak out.

A Trail of Targeted Employers: Since starting in late 2019, Lioness has worked with more than 100 individuals. The service is free for people speaking out: Lioness supports their work by doing paid public relations work for other clients. Because many people do not understand the backlash that can occur after they go public, Lioness helps them prepare for the onslaught. So far, they have worked with former employees from Tony Robbins’s companies, Better.com, and many others. A documentary is in the works.

What Should You Do? 

Do Not Assume: Nondisclosure and “mutual non disparagement agreements” used as a part of a settlement may or may not keep people from talking. Make sure that any you use are updated by your employment counsel.

Review the Basics: As always, systemwide training and policies are the best defense against baseless employee claims. If you make sure that your people are doing the right thing under your values, your policies, and the law, you will reduce or eliminate grievances.

Go to www.workplacesthatwork.com for more articles about how to select the best training and other preventative measures.

Take Bad Bosses Seriously: Most workers understand that work is work; they will forgive (grudgingly, perhaps) a lot of extra work or management errors but a toxic boss — even if they are what I call “equal opportunity jerks”, because they’re not discriminating based on race, gender or any other protected characteristic, and they’re just horrible to everyone — leaves you at much greater risk for potential claims, as well as turnover costs. Even if the employee cannot prove discrimination, you end up needing to put on an embarrassing defense: this boss was not discriminating or harassing, because they are jerks to everyone. A judge or a jury will do what they can to find a claim, even if none technically exists, just because they do not like the leader.

What Do You Think?

Have you found ways to experience flow during this past year? Contact us at: 303-216-1020 or Lynne@workplacesthatwork.com