When former anchor and reporter @LisaMCornwelll filed her complaint in 2020 with the EEOC against the @golfchannel for fostering a ‘boy’s club’ culture, claiming she was discriminated against and suffered retaliation for speaking up before she left the network, dozens more women claiming similar treatment, including sexism, misogyny and harassment came to her defense. A few have spoken publicly. Many others wish to remain anonymous—too afraid to risk their jobs for breaking nondisclosure agreements, severance pay after leaving their jobs for breach of confidentiality agreements, or reputation and future job prospects.

The Golf Channel vehemently denies all allegations and has offered to release former employees who wish to speak publicly from their confidentiality agreements. As you might guess, the concerns for potential negative consequences are deterring requests for releases. According to reports, at least six lawsuits claiming sexual harassment, pay discrimination or unpaid wages were filed against The Golf Channel between 1996 and 2009, all of which were settled. Recent claims include sexually explicit emails, an incident of masterbation in front of female colleagues, public placement of inappropriate sexual images, and unequal treatment with respect to growth opportunities. 

The Golf Channel is waiting for a ruling on Lisa Cornwell’s EEOC complaint. 

As Lawrence Hirsh and @golfprop1 noted in his piece on his perception of how certain “golf traditions” negatively impact women, golf courses should take a time out and revisit certain “traditions” that are not appropriate in light of #MeToo.  In one case, three teenage girls working as bussers and hostesses at a yacht and golf club restaurant in Northern California complained to their managers about inappropriate behavior, including sexual jokes and inappropriate touching. When the managers were not able to make the behavior stop, the girls filed a claim with the EEOC.

Complaints are likely being made by female hostesses, bartenders and cart girls. How are their complaints being handled? What if the violators are paying members? 

What if the violators are prominent professional players? Five time winner on the European Tour and member of the 2018 European Ryder Cup, Thorbjorn Olesen, 31, was arrested July 29, 2019 for allegedly molesting a woman who was asleep on a flight from Memphis to London following the 2019 WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational, and is facing charges for sexual assault, being drunk on an aircraft, and assault by beating. Originally suspended for the incident by the European Tour, he was reinstated in 2020, after his trial was pushed to Dec. 6, 2021 (pending the outcome of the legal process). Olesen has played without consequence more than a dozen times since his reinstatement. The European Tour has committed to revisit a suspension once Olesen’s legal matter is concluded. 

Quoting Hirsch: “The old concept that GOLF stands for “Gentlemen Only Ladies Forbidden” needs to be put to rest forever in favor of “Game of Lots (of) Fun”. 

In our book 'Play Nice - Playground Rules for Respect in the Workplace,' we address this topic in great detail to help the human resources department address and process complaints with diligence, better communication, and transparency. Our book also provides real-world examples and essential communication tools—to help women combat this type of behavior as a victim and to help men and women when they are bystanders. If we can resolve bad behavior in the moment, whether as a victim or a bystander, with good communication and creating a fruitful learning experience for the violator, we might avoid filing complaints and a toxic work environment.

We should reward #beupstanding and encourage companies to support #metoo and to handle sexual harassment violations with transparency, respect, responsibility and accountability. Only then will we move the needle and #changetheculture to a more healthy and prosperous environment, free from #abuse and #workplacesexualharassment. What will you do to effect meaningful change? #TimesUp. Let’s #playnice. For more on this and other topics, please visit us at www.thesandboxseries.com.