A textbook example of how to handle workplace bias allegations
We’re constantly hearing about companies getting into legal tussles involving how they handle improper employee conduct. So here’s a pleasant change of pace: the story of an organization that did everything right.
The story comes out of a recent court case in Ohio.
Mary Jane Colston was a security guard at the Cleveland Public Library. She filed a lawsuit against her employer, alleging that she’d been forced to endure a hostile work environment, was sexually harassed and suffered gender discrimination at the hands of several of her co-workers — but she singled out her supervisor, Melvin Abrams, as the chief offender.
Colston claimed co-workers left pornographic materials in an area where they knew she’d see them, made threatening remarks about her behind her back, and singled out Abrams for using inappropriate language and making sexual innuendos.
Management’s response
But here’s the part HR people will love: The company proved it had taken appropriate steps to address the situations Colston brought to management’s attention.
The objectionable reading material was removed immediately. The security officer that made a threat behind Colston’s back was suspended. And when she brought a final complaint against Abrams, the library hired an outside investigator who concluded that Abrams had, indeed violated workplace policies. He was place on administrative leave, but resigned before a scheduled pre-termination hearing.
The case also included a look at the old “equal opportunity harasser” issue. Colston admitted that Abrams was also insulting and profane with the male officers, commenting on their personal lives, their weight and their overall appearance. “Colston’s own evidence suggests that Abrams’ demeaning statements were not based on gender,” the judge ruled.
So the happy ending is this: Because the organization had responded properly to Colston’s complaints, she couldn’t prove she’d been a victim of a hostile work environment. Her gender bias claim didn’t hold up because of the “equal opportunity” nature of Abrams’ action.
And perhaps best of all, the organization was rid of a corrosive personality that had to be affecting morale.
The case is Colston v. Cleveland Public Library.
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