New York Governor Andrew Cuomo Should Resign
by Audrey Roofeh
Take some time today to read the report of the investigation into allegations of sexual harassment by Gov. Cuomo.
The independent investigators find that the Governor sexually harassed current and former staff, other state employees and non-employees. They also found the culture of the office to be filled with fear and intimidation, and normalization of the Governor's frequent flirtations and gender-based comments.
How should an office deal with workplace harassment? When it happens, a victim should be safe to report it. The report should be investigated - promptly, impartially, and thoroughly. And when an investigator documents that a violation occurs, proportionate discipline should be imposed.
How an organization determines proportionate discipline should take into account at least the following: conduct, severity, whether there are factors that make it appropriate to punish more or less severely (first offense vs. second/third, indifference to the situation, failure to understand severity; individual is contrite, conduct was intentional, conduct was thoughtless) and what response would be effective in preventing further inappropriate conduct.
That's the basic idea. There isn't one standard for low-level employees and another if you lead the organization.
The independent investigators hired by NY Attorney General Letitia James found a pattern of unlawful sexual harassment by the Governor and unlawful retaliation by the Executive Chamber in response to one complainant's allegation.
Either a report, impartial investigation, and findings of misconduct are enough to warrant the Governor's resignation or impeachment, or the power of the person accused is more important than the rules.
Our work at Mariana Strategies is to help guide organizations into avoiding situations like these. We would prefer that public officials and their offices, such as the Executive Chamber of the Governor of New York, would follow their own policies and laws. We would prefer that public opinion isn't necessary to hold an elected official found to violate harassment policies to account. But that's not yet the country we live in.
We can only have faith in public officials if they demonstrate that the rules also apply to them. Based on the findings of the investigation, Governor Cuomo should resign.
