NBA Commissioner calls on teams to hire more women

[September 22, 2018]    By Frank Pingue

(Reuters) - The National Basketball Association sent a memo to team owners on Friday calling on them to hire more women as part of a series of recommendations that followed an investigation into workplace harassment at the Dallas Mavericks.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver during the press conference ahead of the game Reuters / Matthew Childs/File Photo

In the memo, which was seen by Reuters and sent to team presidents and general managers, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said he "strongly encourages" increasing the number of women at all levels and improving the process for reporting misconduct.

Among the recommendations, Silver also said teams should hold anonymous workplace culture and sexual harassment climate surveys on a regular basis and clarify the role of team owners in the day-to-day operations of teams.

Other recommendations included "prompt and proportionate" discipline when harassment or misconduct has been substantiated, and holding executives, managers, and supervisors accountable on their efforts to eliminate harassment and improve diversity.

Silver also said teams should hold "Community Conversations" with employees within the next two weeks to discuss the Dallas investigation findings and report.

"Open and honest dialogue about these issues is critically important," Silver wrote in the memo.

The memo came a day after the NBA released findings from an independent investigation into the Mavericks that substantiated numerous instances of sexual harassment and other improper workplace conduct within the organization over a period spanning more than 20 years.

The seven-month investigation found "Mavericks' management was ineffective, including a lack of compliance and internal controls, and the shortcomings permitted an environment in which acts of misconduct and the individuals who committed them could flourish."

(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto, editing by Pritha Sarkar)

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