The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission reports that formal complaints of sexual harassment complaints are up significantly from 2017. The EEOC is also litigating substantially more harassment cases.

Amid the uptick in reported harassment, there is evidence that men are changing their behavior – in good and bad ways. While the impact of the #MeToo movement has mostly been positive, some leery men are going to the other extreme and avoiding female co-workers completely.

Formal harassment complaints and lawsuits have increased

The EEOC says it is leading the way in combating workplace sexual harassment. Through outreach and education, as well as through investigation and enforcement, the agency believes it’s making an impact:

• Formal sexual harassment charges in fiscal year 2018 increased by more than 12 percent from 2017.
• Reasonable cause findings increased by 23 percent and successful conciliations by 43 percent.
• In complaints not resolved through mediation, the EEOC has filed 41 sexual harassment lawsuits, a 50 percent increase.
• The EEOC recovered $70 million for victims in FY 2018, an increase of 47 percent.

In the aftermath of #MeToo, traffic to the EEOC website doubled in the past year as both employees and employers sought information on dealing with workplace harassment. The agency conducted hundreds of outreach events to educate individuals and employers

Some men are taking the wrong message from #MeToo

Overall, the #MeToo movement has affected real and positive change. More women (and men) are confronting abuse and reporting sexual harassment rather than quietly tolerating it. Employers, including government agencies, are re-examining their policies and doing more trainings. Habitual and egregious offenders are being fired or otherwise suffering real consequences.

At least anecdotally, males in the workplace are changing their behavior, out of self-preservation if not because they genuinely “get it.” From sexual come-ons and inappropriate touching and to sharing sexual jokes or pictures, men appear to be getting the message.

But there has been some unexpected backlash from the #MeToo campaign. Some men in positions of power are intentionally avoiding or excluding female counterparts to avoid being accused of harassment. For example, women may not be invited to key meetings or after-hours events. Some men say they will no longer mentor women or hire female assistants. Some go so far as to avoid riding in an elevator or vehicle with female co-workers.

This overreaction has the unintended consequence of limiting opportunities for women and creating barriers. Such behavior can rise to the level of retaliation, sex discrimination or creating a hostile work environment.

This blog was originally published by Passman & Kaplan, P.C., Attorneys at Law on October 22, 2018. Reprinted with permission. 

About the Authors: Founded in 1990 by Edward H. Passman and Joseph V. Kaplan, Passman & Kaplan, P.C., Attorneys at Law, is focused on protecting the rights of federal employees and promoting workplace fairness.  The attorneys of Passman & Kaplan (Edward H. Passman, Joseph V. Kaplan, Adria S. Zeldin, Andrew J. Perlmutter, Johnathan P. Lloyd and Erik D. Snyder) represent federal employees before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB), the Office of Special Counsel (OSC), the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and other federal administrative agencies, and also represent employees in U.S. District and Appeals Courts.