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A new report released by the inspector general states that in the last ten years, members of Congress have sexually harassed night shift custodians.
Between October 2008 and October 2018, the 53-page report stated that there were 57 incidents of sexual harassment with the Architect of the Capitol (AOC).
The report reveals that:
1. There’s no defined system for tracking sexual harassment complaints along with the resolutions.
2. The Human Capital Management Division only provided vague report details of the complaints.
3. Of the 57 incidents reported, 44% were substantiated.
4. No specific politicians were named in the report.
5. There are a number of politicians who keep beds in their Congressional office and sleep there at night, leading to night-shift custodians walking into their office and facing uncomfortable experiences.
6. There is no protocol for employees to follow when the harassers are no AOC employees.
7. Only formal claims were submitted to the report.
What this report reveals is that there is no automated method for tracking sexual harassment claims. There’s currently no way to track repeat offenders. There’s no way to track resolutions. And currently, only AOC employees count toward the report. Visitors, venders, or press who harass staff are not tracked and there is no formal protocol to help staff in those scenarios.
Moreover, the complaint system is convoluted and employees fear for the jobs when they do consider filing complaints because of a lack of confidentiality in the reporting system.
Training is also an issue. These complaints show a power-dynamic at play that clearly is not addressed adequately enough in the sexual harassment training sessions. Having a zero tolerance policy with clear penalties for violations would be a strong step in the right direction for combating these sexual harassment issues in the system.
For more information about what you can do if you’ve suffered sexual harassment in the workplace, send us a message.
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