• 10
  • June
    2011

The news of Dominique Strauss-Kahn's sexual assault attracted media attention across the world. Shortly after that, Mahmoud Abdel-Salam Omar, an Egyptian businessman, was also arrested for sexually abusing a maid in a hotel.

Now, the hotels associated with each attack are proactively working to help ensure their housekeepers are protected from sexual harassment and sexual assault. The hotels' action is commendable, and businesses throughout California are looking at ways to help ensure they can also keep their employees safe.

Housekeepers at both hotels will now have panic buttons to carry with them. If they feel threatened or uncomfortable, pushing the button will quickly alert security to the situation.

One of the hotels plans to implement buttons that are similar to the panic buttons used by some senior citizens. The current plan is to implement the system as soon as it has been created. Additional consideration would need to be taken to help ensure the buttons were created in such a way that they were always easily accessible, even in the midst of an attack.

Another hotel is currently lobbying the state to mandate the use of panic buttons in all hotels in the state. At this point it is unclear how their lobbying has developed.

Although it took two sexual attacks to instigate change, it seems as though more employers are getting on the right track. It is important for employees to remember that your employer is responsible for keeping you safe while you are working. Even if panic buttons are not installed in every cube or at every workstation, employers are responsible for taking immediate action when they learn about sexual harassment.

Source: Reuters, "Employee Panic Buttons Offered After Maid Attacks," Cynthia Hsu, FindLaw.com, 3 June 2011