Sexual Harassment, The Man Gene, and Chimpanzees

Regular readers know that I occasionally post about The Man Gene. I do so, not out prurient interest of course, but to help employers prevent sexual harassment. Sex harassment claims haven’t entered a state of decline or even leveled off in the 21st century. They increase every year. Most are filed by women because of what men say or do. Men say and do these things because of The Man Gene. 

The New York Times provides another clue about The Man Gene’s mysterious power. It’s been discovered that chimpanzees (who teach us much) have tools for sex. In interpreting this new development, however, primatologists have missed the point. They immediately jumped to the conclusion that chimps, like humans, have designed their own sex toys. Instead, this discovery should be used as one more way for employers to spot potential sexual harassers. 

Male chimps use dead leaves to attract female chimps for the purpose of having sex. Dead leaves are used because they make a rasping sound which attracts attention. Without going into too much detail, the male chimp tears a dead leaf bit by bit, dropping the pieces as he detaches them, until a female notices. Sometimes, he’ll need a dozen leaves to achieve his goal. 

The real meaning? Human resources professionals should be on the lookout for male employees who hoard dead leaves and then begin to pull them apart. Don’t discipline or fire the employee until you’ve done your usual investigation and given him a chance to explain. It’s unlikely that a credible explanation will be forthcoming, and then action can be taken. The employee should be given an opportunity to dispose of the dead leaves and sign a last chance agreement promising to never bring dead leaves to work again. By intervening, you’ll have saved the male employee from The Man Gene’s wiles. You’ll have stopped sex harassment before it happens.