Sexual Harassment and Boards

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Though the Regional Meetings’ attendees were pretty much unaware of cases of sexual harassment being brought before their Board of Accountancy, more than half of those responding to the electronic polls taken at those two meetings supported the idea of training for both Board members and staff on how to prevent sexual harassment. Panel sessions discussed what would be considered under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act as sexual harassment, how it would be referenced in the AICPA Professional Code of Conduct and the Uniform Accountancy Act, and what would be specific to state law as far as both discipline, license application and revocation.

The panelists were: Catherine Allen (NY), Mary Ellen Clark (Florida Board attorney), J. Randel Hill (Texas Board attorney) and Nicola Neilon (NV).

“The ‘#MeToo’ movement has created a national dialog and we might receive a complaint from an agency to investigate,” Mr. Hill sated. “This is an allegation – not a finding of harassment. How should we address the complaint? There are so many issues involved that there is not always a bright line. Not an easy decision to make.”

Ms. Neilon commented: “We want you to go back to your state and start asking some questions. The view of the public on sexual harassment is evolving. There is a demand for action by people who have been victimized and we may not have the rules that allow us to take action.”