Women’s Network Is Raising Its Voice
seen or ignored by their employers — the boss who scoffs at maternity leave, the manager known for ribald jokes, the colleague rumored to be a groper, or worse.
Now, with the internet offering a clearinghouse for complaints — intensified by the outpouring of allegations against prominent figures like the producer Harvey Weinstein — whisper networks have been amplified. Through public forums, Facebook groups, websites and threads on anonymous apps, women — and men — are sharing their stories.
“We’re in this interesting period right now, kind of a hopeful period, where having prominent people name and talk about harassment has put a heightened awareness of it on the table,” said Fatima Goss Graves of the National Women’s Law Center in Washington. “When you have one person come forward, they become a huge target,” she added, “but when more people come out, it’s hard to go after all of them.”
At Bear Stearns — which was sold to JPMorgan Chase in 2008 — the Glass Ceiling Club would warn others about the senior manager who had a history of affairs and a tendency to relocate his previous liaisons to remote offices, recalled Ms. Sherry, who last year published a semi-autobiographical novel, “Opening Belle,” about her experiences.
The women in the whisper network “weren’t best girlfriends,’’ Ms. Sherry said. “What we did have in common was that we were ambitious professionals with the common goal of a more equal place of employment and so yes, that included our perplexity over outrageous behavior that went unchecked.”
Two decades later, fewer than two in 10 female harassment victims ever file a complaint, according to the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
The reluctance stems in part from the risks associated with reporting harassment, including fear of retaliation, according to The Harvard Business Review. Many women have reported being fired or sidelined at work after speaking up while their tormentors face few, if any, consequences.
The i nvitation- only Facebook group Tech Ladies provides information on job openings and invitations to networking events. But it also has a discussion called #HelpASisterOut, where members can solicit advice about how to come forward with a harassment complaint or to ask about a company’s reputation.
“What we’ll see is someone post that they are applying for a job at a company and ask if anyone has any good or bad stories about it,” said Allison Esposito, the founder of Tech Ladies.
An app called Blind allows all employees from more than 100 companies, including Google, Facebook, Amazon and Airbnb, to sign up through their work email but then chat anonymously about office and industry issues. But Blind has also become a hotbed for frank talk about sexual harassment.
The anonymity attached to some allegations has generated debate. A Google spreadsheet that named dozens of men in the media world, identifying individuals with descriptions ranging from leering to sexual harassment to assault, drew a mixed reaction when it was publicized in October.
Some applauded the public outing of the men who were accused. But others were outraged that the document had been widely disseminated and the accused given no opportunity to defend themselves.
For Amanda Aiken, the whisper network worked. Sort of.
Ms. Aiken was a new paralegal at a small Canadian real estate investment firm when, during a company event in 2011, an executive repeatedly tried to cajole her into going back to his home.
“His entire body was touching mine — I would try to get away from him, physically move away, and he would try to follow me,” she said.
She learned that other female colleagues had similar stories, including her friend, Erin Carson. After word filtered up to management, the women were summoned to a meeting with an owner.
“There was some anger, there were some tears,” said Ms. Carson, a receptionist at the firm in Victoria, British Columbia. “But it was kind of reassuring to know we weren’t alone.”
The executive left the company. Ms. Aiken quit her job, citing a lingering feeling of awkwardness.
“Too many women have commented about how they just gave up because men didn’t listen when we said no and we felt powerless,” she said. “I want to get my power back.”