Philippe Weiss was quoted in a January 31 story from the Associated Press, "No penalty: Small businesses let sports fans enjoy big games," on how small business owners and managers are cutting staffers a little slack to chat about big sporting events. Weiss said that a flexible attitude is a good management practice for company owners. You can read the full article here.

Philippe Weiss was quoted in a January 23 story from SHRM, "As ‘Chief of Fun,’ HR May Struggle to Fight Harassment," on how managers should share in the role of boosting morale. Weiss said that, looking at today's fraught climate, a high degree of HR professionalism and proper comportment is key. You can read the full article here.

In the last three months of 2017, there were over 100 news reports of sexual harassment allegations involving celebrities, public figures, politicians and senior corporate executives.  This, in addition to the #MeToo social media campaign, has jettisoned the topic of workplace sexual harassment into everyday coffee, lunch and dinner conversations as well as producing a renewed focus for many, if not most, organizations on how to ensure a harassment-free workplace.

Companies are asking -- What are the best practices to ensure a respectful workplace environment and eliminate sexual harassment in the workplace? Do we have the right policies? Have we communicated them appropriately?  Did we Train appropriately?  Do employees, managers and human resource representatives have the necessary tools and communication skills to support and ensure a harassment free workplace?  For example, How should we conduct an investigation if sexual complaints are made? How do we build a culture of respect and inclusion?  These are all very important questions for preventing sexual harassment. But what about companies already facing a sexual harassment scandal?  It is equally important to have crisis management practices and procedures in place to mitigate the impact if hit with these types of high-level or high-profile sexual harassment claims.

“Crisis Management - Best Practices for Preventing and Addressing Sexual Harassment in the Workplace” is the first in a series of webinars addressing crisis management techniques and general prevention tactics for various types of workplace crises.  This first episode will discuss practices for preventing sexual harassment, tools for creating a culture of respect and inclusion, and appropriate internal and external responses to public allegations of sexual harassment.

If you have any questions, please contact Cassie Peterson at clpeterson@seyfarth.com and reference this event.

CLE Credit for this webinar has been awarded in the following states: CA, IL, and NY. CLE Credit is pending for GA, NJ, TX and VA. Please note that in order to receive full credit for attending this webinar, the registrant must be present for the entire session.

Seyfarth Synopsis: In the last in a three-part series addressing sexual harassment in the workplace, we asked Philippe Weiss, Esq., Managing Director of Seyfarth Shaw at Work, to share insights from the front lines, that can help organizations credibly and effectively ensure their company culture is respectful and not tolerant of discrimination, harassing behavior or other inappropriate workplace conduct.

After an extensive search of law firm attorneys and management consulting entities, the Defense Industry Initiative (DII) recently selected Seyfarth Shaw partner Donald G. Featherstun, and Seyfarth Shaw at Work (SSAW) as the new Coordinator Team for DII.

DII is a non-profit organization formed by many of the top defense companies in the U.S. Its mission is the continued promotion and advancement of a culture of ethical conduct in every company that provides products and services to the U.S. Armed Forces.

In his position, Featherstun has been selected to serve as a liaison with the defense industry stakeholders. Seyfarth Shaw at Work was selected to manage critical day-to-day management functions and support membership communications and marketing.

For more than 35 years, Featherstun’s practice has focused on commercial litigation with an emphasis on government contract law.

SSAW is a legal compliance and consulting services company and Seyfarth Shaw subsidiary. SSAW partners with clients and organizations to create highly effective compliance communications, core values, policy/code designs and training programs. The company also deploys market-focused tactical communications (via verbal, visual or virtual/social media platforms) and manages large-scale logistics for national organizations.

Philippe Weiss authored a December 13 article in Human Resource Executive, "Training Harassment's First Responders." Weiss provides a few strategies organizations can adopt to avoid becoming unwitting harassment enablers of bad behavior. You can read the full article here.