Weinstein And Other Predators Just Horrific Extremes Of Generic Workplace Abuse
As the litany of allegations of sexual assault, abuse, and harassment continue to pile up against Harvey Weinstein, so do the calls to finally do something about this far too prevalent problem. The reported abuses by Cosby, Ailes, O’Reilly, Trump, and now Weinstein show that the present legal structure is obviously unable and insufficient to deal with the problem. Stiffer penalties, extending the statute of limitations, and requiring corporations to report accusations and settlements to authorities are all possible ways to help solve the problem.
Weinstein’s sexual assaults are disgusting, despicable, and criminal. And I’ll just add that they are also “evil”, as Republicans like to call everything they intend to do nothing about. But all these incidents are also just extensions of the regular workplace abuse that employees put up with every day in almost every corporation in America. Don’t get me wrong, there is no comparison between what Weinstein has done to getting ripped by your boss in front of the rest of the staff. But the mindset that allows that type of behavior is part of how we end up with the Trumps, O’Reillys, and Weinsteins of the world.
The corporate culture of workplace abuse is rampant. Poultry workers have to wear diapers because they are denied bathroom breaks. Domino’s, Walmart, McDonalds, and so many others have engaged in systematic wage theft. Huge percentages of the work force are “encouraged” and effectively forced to work significant overtime. Of course, it doesn’t always come from men. The workplace abuse in Representative Tim Murphy’s office, the demand for outrageous hours, the belittling of the staff, the need to ask permission to go to the bathroom, and threats of being cut off from the student loan repayment program to keep staff from leaving, all of it was carried out by both Murphy and his female chief of staff, Susan Mosychuk. But all that kind of abuse that goes hand-in-hand with the constant sexual harassment that employees face every day, from night-time office building cleaners to Silicon Valley engineers to even rock stars and, as we see, famous actresses.
These high-profile cases illustrate how sexual abuse is part of the broader pattern of workplace abuse. Bill O’Reilly was known to be incredibly hot-tempered and could bring co-workers to tears with his rampages. Beyond his sexual harassment and assaults, Weinstein was apparently abusive to everyone. “He was violent toward men and women, and his abuse came in many forms – from screaming and berating to character assassination and nonconsensual advances”. And Trump has spent his entire career belittling, undercutting, and abusing his employees and, now, even his own cabinet.
The Wall Street Journal had an article last month about the costs of workplace incivility in which it stated “[a] growing body of research suggests that rudeness can harm an employee’s well-being and job performance.” And we, as workers, have to put up with it because we know that the corporation looks at us as merely replaceable parts, rather than humans working on a collective effort. If relatively successful actresses can feel pressured to succumb to Weinstein’s abuse in order to keep their jobs, what chance does some poor woman working the night shift cleaning office buildings have.
As Miya Tokumitso writes about sexual harassment but also applies to all kinds of workplace abuse, “life’s practical realities make the sudden withdrawal of labor extremely onerous. Even if you could find a new employer right away, are you really going to disrupt your children’s school year, leave your community, break your lease or sell your house, give up the fringe benefits from your current job…abandon projects, colleagues, clients, and students after a few inappropriate messages and a flaccid response from human resources? Employers are banking that you won’t.”
Obviously, more must be done to stop these criminal sexual predators in the workplace. But I’m afraid that powerful and abusive men like O’Reilly, Trump, and Weinstein will never stop until we finally stand up and eliminate the “cancerous corporate culture”, as Erik Loomis describes it, that permits workplace abuse of a non-criminal nature on a regular basis.
