The Economics of #MeToo & Reference Checks: Do Recruiters Care?
Abuse of power and backlisting are undoubtedly strengthened by dogmatic, arbitrary and unregulated practices of References / Background Checks leaving real risk prevention for businesses and candidates/employees often unaddressed.
As a new landmark decision related to #MeToo has just been taken in the US, we are sharing here an article about “The Economics of #MeToo and How to Fight Back Against Harassment”.
As the author put it, “understanding sexual harassment as an economic problem is crucial: it is no coincidence that many of the allegations being raised are pointed at members of society with extensive economic influence and power over their victims.”
In addition to the harm suffered, victims of sexual harassment in the workplace looking for another job are confronted with the harsh fact that perpetrators are more often than not the go-to persons (read: deal-breakers) for references, background checks etc. knowing that victims are often afraid to speak too clearly to explain things, fearing consequences.
The same logic applies to victims of other sorts of harassment in the workplace or whistleblowers, leading these people into various types of hardship, gaps or long-term unemployment.
Next time you want to check a person having experienced harassment, will you call the perpetrator for a reference? Maybe it’s time to review HR and recruitment traditions?
How many categories of people, including whistleblowers, get harassed by abuse of power and blacklisting, hence lives/careers destruction: NHS, Financial or Construction sectors being just three examples.
To give a bit more background on this: – Blacklisting revealed by Peter Jackson (in 2017) – A court in LA allows Ashley Judd to pursue justice for the damage intentionally done to her career
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