• 15
  • December
    2011

In many situations, sexual harassment takes the form of a man harassing a woman. Although men are also subject to harassment from women, it is less common. Regardless, that doesn't mean men don't suffer negative consequences when women are harassed. In many San Francisco companies, men who stand up for their female employees are subject to retaliation and wrongful termination.

That is exactly what happened to one security official with the N.B.A.

Warren warned his superiors that several women in the office were being sexually harassed or discriminated against by their male co-workers. However, his concerns were ignored, and he was eventually fired for trying to protect the rights of the harassed women.

When he was fired, Warren was working at the director level, and he had put in 10 years with the N.B.A. During that time, he received excellent performance reviews. After he reported the harassment, however, he started to feel the ramifications.

In 2006, his performance review stated that he was "one of the best security professionals...ever worked with," and a recommendation was made to promote him to the position of senior director. However, he lost the promotion to a co-worker.

Later, a woman reported that a male co-worker was displaying pornographic material on his computer and made offensive and intimidating remarks. When she reported the sexual harassment to her superiors, no action was taken. When Warren heard about the incident, he reported it to higher authorities. In response, he was told he would be fired if anyone found out about the sexual harassment.

In the lawsuit Warren filed against the N.B.A., Warren argues that senior N.B.A. officials created a "hostile work environment in which he was demeaned, treated differently from other employees and denied promotions" because of his willingness to speak out.

Source: The New York Times, "Former N.B.A. Employee Says Sex Harassment Concerns Were Ignored," Howard Beck, Dec. 15, 2011