Description
Forty Seattle City Light employees were subjects of an investigation into misconduct, which includes sexually harassing female colleagues, “culturally normalized” drinking on the job and stocking work trucks with alcohol, according to new documents.
Since 2017, anonymous complaints were filed regarding a group of City Light for drinking and being drunk at work, displaying pornography and treating coworkers with disrespect.
It wasn’t until the Office of the Employee Ombud received anonymous allegations in October 2022 that City Light and the Seattle Mayor’s Office hired an outside investigator to look into the company, beginning in February 2023.
In total, 40 employees were identified. Of the 259 allegations of workplace misconduct investigated, the investigator substantiated 160 of those claims.
Seattle City Light CEO Dawn Lindell said she was aware an investigation was underway when she accepted the job in 2024. Despite the challenges, Lindell expressed hope for the agency’s future.
“We can turn this around and we will,” she said.
Lindell also emphasized her personal motivation for accepting the role.
“Having women in this industry matters to me a lot,” she said, adding a direct message about the misconduct to women working at City Light: “I want them to know – that never again.”
Read more: https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/seattle/new-report-seattle-city-light-employees-drunk-at-work-harassed-female-colleagues/281-9c841e53-1a23-4341-abc4-a15ba6f73b3c