The last thing you need is to have your name
splattered across the front page of the paper accusing
you of sexual harassment. That's what happened
to Town Administrator Russell J. Connor, Jr. of
Grafton, MA. He was eventually found not guilty of
harassment and the town and the Board of
Selectmen were found not guilty of retaliation. And
that's where the good news ends.
This case took eight years to travel through the
courts and cost the Town of Grafton $400,000 to
defend. Imagine what Connor's life was like
during that period. Imagine how little work got done
while he was focused on defending himself and the
town.
The case is finally over, but Connor and the town now
have tarnished reputations. Just Google Connor's
name and article after article appears linking him and
the town to sexual harassment. And it won't go away--
the Internet is forever. It isn't fair, but those are the
ugly realities of sexual harassment cases.
No one should allow themselves or their
organization to be vulnerable to these types of
claims. The best way to protect your employees,
your organization and yourself is to have a proactive
sexual harassment prevention program in place.
Take steps today to put a program in place.
If you would like a free copy of the
guideline, "Preventing Harassment and
Discrimination Claims," simply give me a call at 800-
892-9828.
