Zero Tolerance + Zero Resources = Zero Compliance

I dreaded a meeting with the head of investigations of my former employer about the way they had handled my allegations of sexual harassment. 

I rarely suffer headaches but anxiety around this appointment created tension and my head was about to explode. I found it hard to concentrate and enjoy the daily routines that I cherish, such as spending time with my son. I felt edgy and had to breathe deeply not to lose patience when my kid resisted entering the car. 

Victims of sexual abuse know what I’m talking about. Jennifer Eckhart pinpoints this hardship: “Nothing about coming forward as a victim of sexual assault feels brave. It feels scary, isolating, and causes you to relive your trauma over and over again, regardless of “how many years ago” it happened.”

I expected this meeting to turn into another unpleasant conversation with a man who would justify procedures, procedures that have inflicted such additional pain that I have regretted having come forward. To my surprise, I met a man willing to listen and improve procedures as he described a young, overwhelmed compliance office.

One aspect we discussed revolved around informed consent. I explained to him that they didn’t inform me beforehand that an investigation would take place and people who knew me would be interviewed: I had felt betrayed. Dr. Freyd (an expert on betrayal and psychological trauma) states that “Disrespect of autonomy causes harm”. I had had no agency in the whole process and I shared with the head of investigations how this had distressed me and made me anxious. While we talked, he expressed a wish to improve their work and thanked me for my feedback.

I experienced during my exchanges with the compliance office a systematic failure to treat me with respect. 

Cold manners and automatic responses felt like business as usual in a busy environment. I expect professionals dealing with victims of sexual violence to be well trained, have time to answer emails and be able to properly conduct investigations. I can understand human errors and I know budgets are limited, but let’s not justify incompetence, let’s be clear: by stating a policy of zero tolerance against sexual harassment, but not assigning enough resources to deal with an overwhelming number of cases, the organisation shows that they are merely trying to avoid litigation without a real commitment to change.