With the groundswell of both the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements, HR Departments in many companies and organizations began to reshape their employee policies, especially around sexual harassment. As a recent New Measures blog post points out, “#MeToo stories and calls for #TimesUp have come to touch every corner of the corporate landscape”. The article goes on to cite a survey in which over 50% of HR principals stated that they had reviewed and updated their policies.
And rightly so.
With a willingness to listen to these stories and support those calling for change, employees (especially women) now feel more empowered to speak out. In response, forward-thinking HR departments in organizations with high numbers of workers and/or those with dispersed staff are seeking out tools to help them listen to all employees. The tools that will benefit both employers and employees the most are those that make listening easiest. That’s where tech solutions can meet the modern worker’s preference for communication and HR department goals to be available to listen at any time.
Yet a tool is only as effective as its users and the attitude toward it. Not only can these tools empower employees but they can also empower culture changes where those in executive positions embrace these tools and dedicate time and resources to training HR reps to use them most effectively.
Company culture change is the first key step to adapting with #MeToo and other movements that take a human-first viewpoint. Organizations that are alive to empathy all want #MeToo and #TimesUp to endure and lead to further positive changes because when employees feel safe and valued then businesses thrive.
