Breakout: Gender Equity and Harassment Issues in the Wake of #MeToo and #TimesUp

Spurred by the #MeToo movement, the past year has brought a flood of headline-grabbing allegations of sexual misconduct against powerful figures in Hollywood, politics, the media, and corporate America. As more companies face public sexual harassment complaints, investors are calling on boards to ensure that their companies are proactively assessing and addressing these risks, as well as related cultural and structural issues that may, often unintentionally, enable or perpetuate unfair treatment of women in the workplace. While claims of overt sexism and sexual misconduct receive the most attention, companies are also facing stronger demands to tackle patterns of discriminatory behavior that are subtler, more widespread, and more difficult to identify—from gender disparities in pay, to the role of unconscious bias in hiring and promotion, to the lack of gender diversity in corporate leadership. How should directors educate themselves about what complaints related to sexual misconduct or other discriminatory behavior have been made against employees, and how those allegations are addressed internally? What can boards do to understand the true impact of seemingly fair and meritocratic hiring and promotion practices and to correct any deficiencies? This session will discuss practical steps that directors can take to reduce future risks in an era of heightened scrutiny related to gender and harassment issues.