Dominique Strauss-Kahn was arrested in May for allegedly sexually assaulting and attempting to rape a chambermaid in New York City’s Sofitel hotel. Two weeks later, Mahmoud Abdel-Salam Omar, former chairman of Egypt’s Bank of Alexandria, was arrested at another New York City hotel after allegedly assaulting a hotel housekeeper. The U.S. is not immune from these scandals involving its own powerful elite. In recent weeks, former Rep. Anthony Weiner and former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger have made headlines for their sexual improprieties. No one contends Weiner’s or Schwarzenegger’s behavior is criminal, and neither is directly comparable to the allegations against Strauss-Kahn and Abdel-Salam Omar. Moreover, the allegations of criminal misconduct are only allegations. Despite these facts, many see these events as part of a larger problem of the powerful elite feeling entitled to behave badly and abusing their power.
These events serve as a reminder to employers of the terrible dangers of allowing the powerful in their own organizations to engage in sexually harassing and violent behavior in the workplace. The public outrage around these events shows that the allegations themselves of such sexual improprieties, harassment and violent behavior can have a career-destroying impact on the accused individual, and can severely damage the reputations of their employers as well. For example, Strauss-Kahn was visiting the U.S. on business when he was arrested. Following his arrest, his employer’s ethics policy has come under close scrutiny for allegedly condoning sexually offensive behavior by top officials. Sofitel hotels received negative press for not better protecting its workers from hotel guests.
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