Sex pest of the day, Matt Lauer! And his exec assistant.
Massage Envy employees.
http://time.com/5039090/massage-envy-sexual-assault/
This is the original investigative report by Buzzfeed. It’s long and very detailed. Here is just a wee snippet.
“The company’s leadership has long feared the media would realize the national scope of the problem, said a former corporate employee, who spoke anonymously because of a nondisparagement agreement. That person recalled executives discussing what would happen “if someone connects the dots of how many sexual assaults have occurred across the country.”
“But while I was there,” the employee added, “they never figured out a solution.”
In at least one risk management training, franchisees were told the goal when investigating claims is “to avoid police and keep membership,” according to one recently filed court motion in Susan Ingram’s case.
A communication guide from 2014, obtained by BuzzFeed News, directs employees facing potential crises to consider questions such as “Who is responsible?” “Can it happen again?” and “How will it affect me, my guest/members, or the clinic?”
There’s only one question written in bold type and marked “critical”: “Could it negatively impact Massage Envy’s Spa Brand?”
I believe the pay-out was because she left the job, but yes it bought her silence. Given the climate at the time, she was not going to be believed and at least she got something. In an ideal world, women would be believed, but that was not an ideal world. It is very hard to turn down money, especially is one is being pressured into signing a non-disclosure agreement and told that you will never work again if you don’t accept the settlement.
I can’t believe this is coming down to blaming the victims. .
Massage Envy - how creepy. So glad I never went there.
@fractalmstr
If the women did sign an NDA and/or took the money aren’t they already doing the right thing by having reported it already? After that it’s up to HR/whoever to resolve the issue. Unfortunately, a lot of times HR will just suggest signing an NDA/money. What are they supposed to do afterwards? Not sign and risk losing their jobs?
I’m mad about the money as well, but guess what? It’s the corporations and organizations who are offering it in the first place? Why is that? Why are people not more disgusted about that? And why aren’t people more upset at the offenders who get a get-out-of-jail free card, continue to hold their jobs, and no one in the company is none the wiser? Why this focus and doubt on victims?
I wasn’t aware there were NDAs for this kind of stuff. Wow… that makes me even more disgusted.
Oh, I think there are pretty much always NDAs when money is offered.
When a lawsuit is filed the NDA typically only refers to the amount of the settlement. The lawsuit itself is public record. So if one is sexually harassed at work, get evidence, witnesses, write it down, inform the harassers superiors, and then hire a lawyer and file. Many states have laws that protect people who file lawsuits against their employers from being fired.
Those laws are always implemented fairly and justly right?
^ It’s also pretty easy for an employer to fabricate another unrelated reason to fire the employee.
People settle claims when their lawyers tell them it’s a good idea to do so. That’s usually because there is a risk of losing the claim entirely and getting no relief at all. The other side settles because of the opposite risk. The cost of the settlement ought to be enough to incentivize the institution to crack down on the bad behavior, but obviously that’s often not the result.
I was fired once for reporting something about a very productive employee. He was senior to me, and he started taking away my billable work and giving it to his live-in girl friend, who was at my level in the company. I complained to my boss. He (with my permission) notified HR. HR spoke to me. They said they would investigate and get back to me within ten days. They didn’t, and I was fired two weeks after my conversation with HR. What a funny coincidence, huh?
I did retain a lawyer, who wrote them a nasty gram. It resulted in my getting 12 weeks of severance instead of eight.
Was there something else I might have done? If so, I’m all ears.
^That. Anyone who pays attention to the real life consequences for whistleblowers knows it often ruins their careers regardless of what the law says. Once I worked for a partner in a large consulting firm who cheated a client on a bill he had me prepare. I knew if I blew the whistle on him I would lose and get let go for some trumped up reason – he was far too powerful. I immediately took steps to move out of his group and never worked for him again. But I didn’t want to lose my job. It wouldn’t have mattered what the law said, I’d have been out.
Garrison Keillor says he was just fired by Minnesota Public Radio over allegations of sexual misconduct.
^^^^^^ Holy cow.
I am not surprised at Keillor’s firing.
This is a big moment in history.
I’m not surprised about Keillor either. Didn’t he have a long affair with one of his employees?
Finally won’t have to change the station during Writers Almanac.
Dunno – he’s been dead to me for years, ever since he attacked the church I attend. He owned a bookstore in St. Paul at the time where I’d just purchased Christmas gifts for my family (wanting to support a local independent bookstore). After he slammed our church and said we shouldn’t celebrate Christmas because we don’t do it the way he thinks we should, I went and returned all the books, and purchased them again someplace else. He’s kind of a nasty guy, for all his “aw, shucks” persona on the air.