CVS Health has removed a handful of executives in response to an internal investigation concluding they mishandled sexual harassment allegations.
The investigation that led to the executives’ ouster was reportedly triggered by anonymous complaints in the company alleging that a New Jersey-based regional store manager harassed or inappropriately touched at least two female employees.
“We absolutely do not tolerate behavior or actions that are harassing, hostile, abusive, or discriminatory,” the company told the Washington Examiner. “After a thorough investigation conducted with an outside independent firm, we quickly terminated the individual and others have since been exited from the company for failing to treat allegations with the seriousness we expect.”
BIDEN SIGNS BILL SEEKING GREATER TRANSPARENCY IN HANDLING SEXUAL ASSAULT CASES
The manager accused of harassment was in charge of hundreds of CVS locations. CEO Karen Lynch became aware of the allegations last December and supervised the investigation, which concluded a few weeks ago.
A human resources executive and the executive in charge of the regional manager were let go due to their handling of the allegations, per the Wall Street Journal. A third executive left the company as well.
CVS has beefed up its internal reporting mechanisms in response to the incident. The company established an office of workplace assistance that will be overseen by Lynch, who informed senior leaders of the changes Friday. She also sent out a memo to staff Friday explaining what happened and the changes the company was making.
“We encourage colleagues to report any incidents — anonymously if they choose — without fear of retaliation. We take complaints seriously, investigate them promptly, and take swift action when warranted,” the company said.
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In her memo, Lynch vowed to improve CVS’s handling of sexual misconduct allegations and said she is reviewing the company’s internal processes for those situations.
Lynch became the CEO of CVS Health in February of last year. She previously served in executive roles at Cigna and Magellan Health Services. In 2015, she became the CEO of Aetna, which was acquired by CVS in 2018. CVS has an estimated 300,000 employees and is the largest pharmacy operation in the United States.
