2 Senators Pen Op-ed on Ending NDAs
Washington, DC news outlet "The Hill" publishes important piece
It’s rare when members of Congress take on the problems caused NDAs, even rarer to see an opinion piece published on the issue, especially in an “inside the beltway” news outlet such as “The Hill”.
So I was pleased to read this op-ed article co-authored by Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Marsha Blackburn about the bi-partisan bill they have introduced in Congress. The measure would end the use of NDAs to silence survivors of sexual harassment and assault as well as those who witness behavior that leads to sexual misconduct.
Unfortunately, it would only apply to employment contracts (not to other legal agreements), and not to other forms of abuse, but it's a start.
From the article:
"Workplace abuse should never be kept secret. No one should be prevented from telling her own story, especially when enforced silence so often leads to a culture of toxicity that protects predators and their enablers at the expense of survivors."
"We know that workplace toxicity has been a leading cause of recent worker resignations. Yet a worker bound by an NDA cannot disclose to a prospective employer what truly happened at her last job. Her choice is either to refuse to discuss the true circumstances of her departure or to lie. As a result, these survivors are often driven not just from their jobs but from their chosen careers."
The article ends:
"Abusive workplaces do more than just harm the employees who survive them. They drive women out of the workforce. They destroy company morale. They empower predators who use this enforced silence to victimize co-workers with impunity, secure in the knowledge that their behavior will never come to light."
This is the worst part, that abusers keep on abusing others.
Let’s hope this bill lights a fire to end NDAs and other silencing mechanisms.