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Good morning, Broadsheet readers! A report uncovers new evidence in a case prosecuted by Amy Klobuchar, climate change can lead to gender-based violence, and Cisco takes an unusual approach to transparency.
– Inside Cisco. Employee relations cases—including instances of alleged sexual harassment or bullying—can easily be considered dirty laundry at a company. Well, Cisco is doing a bit of airing out.
Last week, Cisco chief people officer Fran Katsoudas told me about a rather novel cornerstone of the company’s effort to create a more “conscious” workplace culture.
At a company-wide meeting last January, Cisco revealed to its workforce how many employee complaints it had received of late. Its head of employment relations started by asking employees to imagine instances of unwanted touching, inappropriate behavior by a female executive, and use of the N-word, before adding: “All of these things happened here.”
Besides recalling the instances in aggregate, Cisco’s leadership “goes deep on a couple of cases,” and shares “how we handled it,” Katsoudas said. (It’s done in a manner that does not reveal the identities of the people involved.) In extreme cases of wrongdoing, the company has a zero tolerance policy, but walking through less-severe instances of “negative behavior”—a leader speaking inappropriately to a subordinate or a supervisor overlooking the personal issues of an employee—provides an opportunity for learning, Katsoudas said.
Cisco’s goal was to “build understanding” about the complaint process and to “make it OK” for others to speak up, Katsoudas said. In fact, after the first presentation, the number of complaints increased, some of them years old.
Of course, San Jose-based Cisco introduced the initiative against a backdrop of employee activism in Silicon Valley, and Katsoudas admitted that Cisco employees have become “more bold in their feedback.” I asked her how Cisco balances its desire for employee insight against the potential for worker grievances to disrupt business—the Google walkout comes to mind. Katsoudas argues that it’s a matter of trust. “When you have trust, concerns come to the table,” if not, she said, employees pursue “external” outlets.
Claire Zillman
claire.zillman@fortune.com
@clairezillman
Today’s Broadsheet was produced by Emma Hinchliffe.
ALSO IN THE HEADLINES
- Investigating the evidence. Since she first ran for Senate in 2006, Sen. Amy Klobuchar has repeatedly talked about her experiences serving as a prosecutor. In one case, she prosecuted Myon Burrell, a black teen convicted of killing 11-year-old Tyesha Edwards, who was hit by a stray bullet while sitting at her dining room table. But an Associated Press investigation found new evidence and inconsistencies in the case. A spokesperson for Klobuchar's campaign said that if there is new evidence, it should immediately be reviewed by the court. Associated Press
- Biotech boards. Why don’t women biologists found biotech companies at the same rate as men? Three MIT scientists have been studying the problem for the past year, and their new organization, the Boston Biotech Working Group, will take a first step toward closing the gap by making sure women hold at least 25% of seats on biotech boards of directors by the end of 2022. STAT
- When women run. What's it like to run for office or win an election? Do voters ask gendered questions? Is your appearance an issue? How do you talk to the media about your gender? Read stories and answers from 97 women who've done it in this piece: FiveThirtyEight
- Bad crop. An Associated Press photo from Davos that was circulated to news organizations cropped out Ugandan climate activist Vanessa Nakate, featuring instead four white climate activists, including Greta Thunberg. Nakate talks to the Guardian about the symbolism of the mistake. "Climate activists of color are erased," she says. Guardian
MOVERS AND SHAKERS: Hennes & Mauritz AB appointed Helena Helmersson as the first female CEO of H&M. Airbnb hired president of Disney parks Catherine Powell as head of its Experiences business. Emily Castor Warren, formerly of Lyft and Lime, joined NelsonNygaard as principal and director of policy. Former Rep. Susan Molinari joins the board of nonprofit Points of Light. Karen Parkhill, EVP and CFO of Medtronic, joins the American Express board of directors.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
- Climate effects. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature released a first-of-its-kind report studying the relationship between climate change and gender-based violence. It finds that when "environmental degradation and stress on ecosystems" increases, people's stress increases. Those environmental pressures lead to increased gender-based violence. Guardian
- Sex scene standards. As intimacy coordinators become more standard throughout Hollywood, the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists issued official standards for how productions treat the intimacy professionals on set. The coordinators should have pre-production meetings about sex scenes with producers and directors, one-on-one meetings with actors, and review all "modesty garments." Fortune
- Demings in the House. Who is Rep. Val Demings? You simply must read this profile to find out. A former police chief and the only non-lawyer chosen as an impeachment manager, the experience is an unusual one for her: she's used to enforcing rather than convincing. Plus, there's her "bootstrapping origin story that conservatives might exalt as a sign of high character if she weren’t a Democrat who wants to impeach Donald Trump." Washington Post
- Murdoch speaks out. Kathryn Murdoch, wife of James and daughter-in-law of Rupert, talks to Politico about her climate change activism and the 2020 election. The "radical centrist" still getting used to speaking publicly about her views of politicians like Pete Buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar, and Mike Bloomberg. Politic
ON MY RADAR
Trump's greatest trick was convincing voters that women can't win elections Mother Jones
Holding Virginia Woolf in your hands The New Yorker
After all these years, Barbie is still reinventing herself New York Times
Anna Odell puts men in a gynecological chair Variety
PARTING WORDS
"No. 3’s good enough by the way, and I feel that now."
-Jessica Simpson, on being compared to Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera. Her new memoir shares her battles with alcoholism and sexual abuse.
