MN Fringe - Part I
Hello folks! The Minnesota Fringe festival is in full-swing, and the panel discussions have been going exceedingly well. Our first panel on August 1 was a hyper-informative discussion about street and workplace harassment featuring local experts Katie LaPlant, Lisa Stratton, and Derek âDuckâ Washington.
Iâll have a larger follow-up on this and the other discussions in the near future, but suffice it to say, there were some excellent takeaways:
1. #bethatguy. The International Building Trades promoted the phrase for their workers to learn to step up and identify when something unacceptable was happening in the workplace. You donât have to be Rambo - you just have to care enough to say something to leadership. Be. That. Guy.
2. Doing the right thing is more profitable. Itâs sad, but true that companies who adopt comprehensive harassment policies and codes of conduct pay out less in settlements, and look more favorable to the public.
3. Individuals are not legally responsible for their behavior in the corporate workplace. This means the company is who gets sued. Sure, the company can fire the offender, but the greater pattern is for companies to simply shift the offenders to different jobs or tasks, thereby sweeping the behavior under the rug. There needs to be real consequences for offenders. If you have one in your office, FIRE THEM.
Get your tickets for this weekendâs discussions here:
https://www.minnesotafringe.org/2019-show-information/a-mans-guide-for-appropriate-behavior-in-the-21st-century
