#MeToo has accused more than 400 prominent execs and employees of sexual misconduct
At least 414 executives and employees have been implicated in the past 18 months, new data shows. Only seven were women.
The #MeToo movement keeps taking names.
At least 414 high up executives and employees across a number of industries have been accused of sexual misconduct through the #MeToo movement in the past 18 months, according to data from a New York-based crisis consulting firm, as reported by Time. Only seven of the 414 accused are women.
Researchers examined national news stories targeting people accused of sexual harassment and other workplace misconduct, including celebrities such as Louis C.K., and Bill Cosby, as well as corporate executives such as former Intel CEO Brian Krzanich, who was forced out of the company last week after his affair with an employee was revealed.
The report found that there has been an uptick in fired employees and managers following the bombshell sexual harassment accusations levied against disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein last October. Out of the 414 people who were implicated in misconduct,190 were fired or left their employer; another 122 were suspended, put on leave or are being investigated; and 69 of them have faced no ramifications since December 2016, according to the new report. The number of people being accused of harassment in the workplace has slowed down, but the percentage of those being terminated has gone up.
“It started to become a tsunami, certainly after Weinstein, and it sparked other stories in the same industry and then across all industries,” Davia Temin, whose Temin & Co. firm conducted the research, told Time. “I think it’s settled into a new plateau, but it is certainly higher than we’ve ever had before.”
Companies across all industries are taking a zero tolerance policy toward sexual harassment. In December, Microsoft — which has faced accusations of tolerating harassment and discrimination against female employees — eliminated forced arbitration agreements with workers who make sexual harassment claims.
A previous NBC and The Wall Street Journal poll found that nearly half of women (48%) employed in the US say they have personally experienced a sexual advance, verbal or physical harassment at work. What’s more, nearly half of men (49%), said the recent #MeToo movement has made them think about their own behavior towards women.
But some workers still believe there is much work to be done to eliminate sexual harassment in the workplace. About one-third (32%) of American workers said their employers have not taken new action to prevent workplace sexual harassment, according to a separate survey by the American Psychological Association. Nearly one in five (18%) said their employer had only reminded workers of the existing resources such as HR or training available.
