We’re happy to share an update on a project that Robasciotti & Philipson has been working on: the Force the Issue campaign and database documenting sexual harassment policies at major publicly traded companies.
Background
For those of you not familiar with the policy of forced arbitration for sexual harassment, our one-minute animated explainer video is well worth the watch. This practice has been shown to favor employers over harassment survivors, creating a culture of acceptance of sexual harassment in the workplace.
The Force the Issue database dynamically captures whether or not corporations require employees to sign forced arbitration agreements for sexual harassment cases — and if they change their status. The campaign aims to bring transparency and accountability to corporate behavior. Our goal is concrete: corporate commitment to preventing workplace sexual harassment.
For additional background on the campaign, please see the write up on our Investor Actions campaign.
How You Can Help- 3 Easy Steps
- Check out the database, which includes contact info for the corporations.
- Contact a company (or several) that you would like to see change their policies.
- Share this effort with friends and colleagues. Ask your investment manager to sign on in support.
Our Coalition
For this project, R&P and Adasina teamed with a group of investors representing over $54 billion in assets calling for corporations to end this practice, as well as consumer activism group Grab Your Wallet Alliance (GYWA), and the workplace equity data group LedBetter.
GYWA are the folks behind the dramatically successful anti-Trump campaign following the Access Hollywood tape that convinced retailers Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus to drop Trump products from their shelves (New York Times profile here).
LedBetter is a company publishing data-driven tools that document workplace equity, including The Gender Equality Index.
Together, we’ve formed a unique coalition representing investors, employees, and consumers, under the umbrella effort of Force the Issue, a campaign led entirely by women — primarily women of color.
As our founder and coalition leader, Rachel J. Robasciotti recently said, “Forced arbitration is a pre-MeToo era practice that isolates victims and protects harassers.” Join us in accelerating the arc of #MeToo’s legacy to end sexual harassment in the workplace.
If you would like to be part of future Investor Actions as a part of the Adasina Community or as a social justice investor, please let us know here.