Employers being held accountable for discrimination and harassment
The #MeToo movement of 2017 might feel like ancient history. But one national organization is working to keep workplace sexual harassment top of mind for employers in 2025 and beyond.
The organization Lift Our Voices (LOV) announced in early December that it has created an index to hold employers accountable for how they handle discrimination and harassment.
Called the “LOV Where You Work Index,” the initiative will grade Russell 3000 equity index employers based on how they use non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) and forced arbitration, according to the organization. The Russell 3000 index consists of 3,000 publicly traded U.S. companies, or about 96 percent of the U.S. equity market.
HR leaders to be surveyed
The “LOV Where You Work Index” includes a survey. HR leaders at 3,000 of the country’s largest public companies will receive a survey from LOV that asks:
- Is forced arbitration used in employee disputes?
- How does the company use NDAs?
- Does the company understand the current legislation on forced arbitration?
The responses will inform the index, which will be available in 2025, and will be a resource that job seekers and workers can use to understand how employers handle harassment in their organizations.
Previously LOV worked to support the “Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act” and the “Speak Out Act,” which bar companies from using NDAs to silence workers who report sexual harassment. Both pieces of legislation were signed into law by President Biden in late 2022.
Benefits of taking part in the survey
Although companies are not mandated to complete the survey, a spokesperson for LOV has said that employers will want to use it to:
- Tout their worker-friendly practices, and
- Improve their internal processes.
Private or small employers that are not part of the index may want to pay attention to and imitate what the best-ranked companies do to earn their place on the list to attract and keep employees. Transparency into company policies on discrimination and harassment may help organizations large or small rise to the top as a desirable place to work.
Key to remember: To keep the issue of sexual harassment top of mind for employers, a national organization has announced it is rolling out an index that will grade organizations on how they handle discrimination and harassment.