#METOO
Spring 2019 Buffalo Business 11
in a way we've never seen before," says Christopher
Nickson, JD/MBA '98, a partner at Wilder & Linneball
LLP and instructor in the School of Management's
Executive and Professional MBA programs.
At the state level, an unprecedented 32 states
introduced sexual harassment legislation in 2018,
according to the National Conference of State
Legislatures. Enacted last fall, New York State's regu-
lations are the most sweeping, requiring all employ-
ers to include sexual harassment policies in their
handbooks, deliver annual harassment training to
every employee and provide employees with a stan-
dard complaint form.
Nickson says giving workers a clear roadmap
to share their grievances, and holding bad actors
accountable, are key to supporting victims and de-
terring misbehavior.
"We will look back in 10 years and talk about this
being a watershed time period," he says. "Without the
#MeToo movement, you would not have had the mo-
mentum needed to get these passed."
Spreading the message
Legal compliance is just a first step in combat-
ting workplace harassment, however, and even or-
ganizations unscathed by #MeToo allegations have
taken extra steps to improve their practices and en-
sure a safe environment for their workers. For ex-
ample, in December 2017, Microso became one of
the first major companies to eliminate forced arbi-
tration clauses, which pressure victims to stay silent,
