Female Congressional Staffers Banned From One-On-Ones

What if you weren’t allowed to spend any one-on-one time with your boss? That’s the situation some female Congressional staffers find themselves in under policies adopted by lawmakers to remove the appearance of impropriety. The policies were uncovered by the National Journal in an anonymous survey of female staffers. Though the bans are not prevalent, multiple offices have implemented them, and they may well violate employment discrimination laws. “Employers should concentrate on ensuring that their staffs are trained in workplace rights laws and that the workplace is free from harassment and discrimination rather than trying to build unlawful fences around their female staff,” Scott Mulligan, a spokesman for Congress’s Office of Compliance, said in a statement.