#MeToo in the Corporate World

November 4, 2019
A strong entry-level “but what now?” look at the #MeToo movement arrives from economist and consultant Hewlett. Making clear her personal stake in the issue of workplace harassment, Hewlett recounts how her early career was derailed when her boss’s boss groped and forcibly kissed her. She then takes readers through the #MeToo movement’s history, the available statistics on workplace harassment, and the financial impact on companies that harbor abusers. She has good news to report on #MeToo’s effect on industry; with the silence around harassment broken, norms are shifting. But the issue is far from resolved, she notes, as demonstrated by the stories of prominent “boomerang boys” who only endured temporary ostracism for their abusive actions. Setting out a full suite of possible responses, Hewlett tells plaintiffs to seek legal redress in court, rather than through arbitration, and advises corporate boards that zero-tolerance policies, though “not for the fainthearted,” are effective ways to carry out sweeping change. As such, it’s not immediately clear whether the primary intended audience for this otherwise well-explained guide consists of people who have suffered abuse or corporate board members trying to protect their bottom lines, but frustrated employees in need of ideas for actions to take will find some solid suggestions within. Agent: Molly Friedrich, Friedrich Agency.

December 1, 2019
A veteran economist and corporate leader makes a significant contribution to the continuing shameful story of sexual harassment in the workplace. Hewlett (The Sponsor Effect: How To Be a Better Leader by Investing in Others, 2019, etc.), CEO of an eponymous consulting firm, knows her subject well. In her early 20s, she was hounded out of a job with a "blue-chip" London consulting firm by a lascivious boss who had enormous power and would not take no for an answer. After discussing how the long-overdue pushback against sexual harassment gained steam with the revelations about Harvey Weinstein, Bill Cosby, and others--including Donald Trump, who assumed the presidency "even after the media had revealed a long-running pattern of sexual harassment, including a recording in which he boasted of groping unwilling women"--Hewlett delivers a powerful assessment of "what the numbers tell us." The facts and numbers are staggering: More than one-third of women report having been harassed in the workplace at some point in their careers; Latina women and black women are the most frequently targeted groups; most predators are top-level executives; and the two industries in which harassment is most prevalent are media and technology. The author then takes on a relatively little discussed pool of data around the harassment of men, especially gay men, and executive women who have been guilty of sexual predation. Finally, Hewlett notes, the bonds of "stigma and silence" are being broken--e.g., in the military and on Wall Street. The author emphasizes that sexual harassment is all about power, and when it occurs at work, the entire workforce can suffer demoralization. Moreover, the legal expenses and enormous corporate settlements--for example, at Fox News, Google, and Goldman Sachs--along with the loss of key leaders and even bankruptcy are slamming the corporate world's bottom line, forcing a change in culture. Hewlett is hard-hitting and concise, concluding with practical steps to shut down sexual misconduct in the workforce.

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Starred review from January 1, 2020

Hewlett (Forget a Mentor) discusses personal experiences with sexual assault and harassment in the workplace, finding it impossible to continue at a prior work environment and eventually switching to consulting. The book is based on Hewlett's cathartic experiences at a leadership conference, where the discussion was about sexual harassment in Silicon Valley. Through her think tank, Center for Talent Innovation, Hewlett researches legal remedies to protect employees. Reminding readers that a peer can be a predator, the author includes personal case studies and also covers how women of color and LGBTQ employees experience higher rates of harassment. Hewlett shares possible solutions involving corporate actions and legal measures in order to protect both employees and companies: establishing zero-tolerance rules, maintaining proactive measures, creating a speak-up culture, developing multiple reporting systems, and educating staff. VERDICT An informative book based on qualitative and quantitative analysis. The advice will benefit companies and organizations of all sizes.--Lucy Heckman, St. John's Univ. Lib., Queens Village, NY

Copyright 2020 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 1, 2019
Hewlett (The Sponsor Effect, 2018) credits the #MeToo Movement for empowering victims of workplace sexual assault and harassment to speak up. But how should corporations respond? Too often, the answer is an overabundance of caution, limiting opportunities for women. After Hewlett explores the data around sexual harassment in the workplace, broken down by gender, hierarchy, race, and LGBTQ status, she explores cases that do not involve female victims, perhaps to end the notion that this is a "women's issue." She then talks about the cost of sexual harassment, in legal fees, in hits to an organization's (like Uber and Nike) reputation, and in workplace toxicity, both for the victims of harassment and for those who see nothing being done about it. The last chapters offer concrete steps that both individuals and corporations can take to ensure a culture of safety and transparency, from simply maintaining personal space to building a culture of inclusive leadership. Hewlett admits that we are in the early stages of understanding #MeToo in business, but her clear and practical book should be required reading for corporate leaders.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)