LEGAL COLUMN // A RESPECTFUL WORKPLACE #METOO 101: A GUIDE ON A HARASSMENT-FREE WORKPLACE By Kristina Markosova and Gillian Murphy, Davis Wright Tremaine LLP Every November, WEI hosts the Women in Energy Symposium to address opportunities and challenges women face working in the energy industry, and to support utility directives to build a cohesive KRISTINA MARKOSOVA GILLIAN MURPHY workforce. One of the sessions at the 2018 Symposium featured a panel on how to create a respectful workplace, how to safeguard against discrimination and harassment, and how to protect employee morale and a utility’s culture. The overwhelming feedback WEI received from session attendees, iterated how timely and critical these conversations are, and the need to include a larger audience in these discussions. The following column is authored by one of the panelists. WE presents it here to encourage dialogue around these topics and to provide practical tips on how employees and employers can maintain a respectful workplace. Since October 2017, when the first allegations about Hollywood mogul Harvey Weins tein gained publicit y, the number of sexual har assment complaints filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has spiked dramatically. The r ise of sexual har assment cases to the forefront of pop culture (and cour trooms) should ser ve as a reminder to human resource professionals, managers and employees alike, that every workplace is susceptible to these issues. This ar ticle explores the legal framework for analyzing sexual har assment claims and provides tips for ensuring that the work environment is free from not only unlawful harassment, but from conduc t that makes other s feel uncomfortable. The Basics What is sexual harassment? The ter ms “har assment” and “hos tile work environment” are used in many contex ts and car r y many meanings . Legally, however, the terms mean something very specific. 34 Western Energy / Summer 2019 / westernenergy.org/we