How not to respond to allegations of sexual impropriety in the workplace

In the #Metoo era, employers are acting faster than they might have in the past to respond to allegations of sexual harassment and assault in the workplace. But that action should not come at the cost of due process and respect for privacy. That’s the takeaway from this detailed account of the case of Stephen Galloway, bestselling novelist and former head of the University of B.C.’s Creative Writing program. In 2015 Galloway found himself at the centre of a social media firestorm following allegations of rape and misconduct that a commission led by a retired judge later found to be unsubstantiated. But that didn’t stop UBC, which had its own governance issues at the time, from firing him for breach of trust. Recently, the university ended up paying him $167,000 for its role in violating his privacy rights and damaging his reputation.