Hilde Widerøe Wibe and Isabelle Ringnes believe that the case of Sofie shows that the tech industry has a long way to go when it comes to sexual harassment and notification routines.
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– It may seem as if the massive washing up and raising awareness after metoo was forgotten during the corona pandemic, says Hilde Widerøe Wibe.
At the weekend, she read the case of Sofie – a long-term employee of the app company Shortcut, who experienced unwanted sexual attention from a manager during a work party in 2019.
Sofie describes the next four years as a struggle to be believed, and was on sick leave for several periods during the investigation that followed.
Following E24’s case, Shortcut has decided to change its notification routines.
– I don’t think this is an isolated case. I think maybe we need a new metoo movement, says Wibe.
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Characterized by party and boyish atmosphere
Wibe was for several years head of Abelia, the trade union for technology companies in NHO.
She was also one of the initiators behind a petition that asked IT leaders to highlight their work against sexual harassment and violence in 2017.
Now she works in the construction industry, as manager of Norske Trevarer, where she experiences that the same issues are not as strong.
She believes that the construction industry has had a special need to attract women, and in that way has placed emphasis on facilitating women in a good way.
Wibe believes that it is easier for unculture and a boyish atmosphere to flourish in the tech industry, where it is more difficult to distinguish between work and leisure, and where she finds that afternoons slip into parties and there is more talk of “being a family”.
– I have definitely seen it in the IT industry, but I have not experienced it myself.
– Must take action
Wibe is supported by entrepreneur and tech profile Isabelle Ringnes, who was also behind the petition in 2017.
– Sofie’s case is definitely not an isolated case.
She refers to last year’s Harassment Barometer, which shows that 1 in 5 experience unwanted sexual attention at work.
– The fact that almost 20 per cent of women experience this type of behavior at work must be addressed immediately, and it is clear that there are more workplaces that need to take action, says Ringnes.
Like Wibe, she believes that the tech industry, which is dominated by men, can involve a type of culture that is not perceived as inclusive for women.
– Many workplaces in the tech industry are very aware of this and ensure that such exclusionary unculture does not gain ground.
Others have to work harder to ensure that the workplace feels safe and inclusive for everyone, emphasizes Ringnes.
– I know many women in the industry who have experienced being treated condescendingly, being underestimated or referred to in a disrespectful way. Others have experienced unwanted sexual attention and did not dare to report it for fear of consequences later.
Believes leaders must be clear
Ringnes says that she herself has experienced bad culture in the industry. This includes being introduced as “all of Norway’s technology babe” on a stage in front of men in suits.
– I’ve been told that the only reason I’m successful is because I’m cute to look at.
Ringnes says that Sofie’s situation is “completely unacceptable” and that she can only imagine how much strength it has required of her to settle a settlement with her former employer.
Wibe says that the case about Sofie makes her “sad to the core” and believes that it is now important to put sexual harassment back on the agenda.
Both Ringnes and Wibe believe that it must be the managers’ responsibility as carriers of culture to clearly express what is not okay in a workplace.
– It is the manager’s responsibility to facilitate a culture that has zero tolerance for harassment and discrimination, says Ringnes.
Wibe does not believe that cutting social life with colleagues after work is a possible solution. But she believes there must be clear consequences for those who are notified.
Both agree that clear guidelines and solid notification routines are important.
– A safe work culture for women does not come about by itself. We have to continuously work on it, says Wibe.
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