PROVIDENCE – Karen Lynch, chief executive officer of CVS Health, has fired “several” executives after an internal investigation into how they handled a series of sexual harassment complaints.
Lynch, who took over as CEO a year ago, said the company will now rethink how it handles complaints in the future. She first learned of complaints filed by “at least two” female employees who allege the manager of a New Jersey regional store either harassed them or inappropriately touched them at work, The Wall Street Journal first reported on Friday.
Lynch directed the investigation, which CVS said was run by a professional investigator, and fired the manager and senior executives who oversaw him. This manager, according to the report, oversaw hundreds of stores.
“After a thorough investigation with a third-party independent firm, we quickly fired this person, and others were fired from the company for not taking the allegations as seriously as we expected,” said Joe Good, a spokesman for the company, in email. mail to the Globe.
Get a Map of Rhode IslandA weekday briefing from experienced Rhode Island reporters on the most important things in Ocean State.
President and CEO of CVS Health Corporation Karen Lynch. Associated Press
During a call to the company’s senior management on Friday, Lynch said she plans to provide employees with a “confidential channel” so they can deal with what she called a “difficult situation.” Later that day, she sent a letter to employees saying that she had fired an unnamed regional manager.
Good told the Globe that the company has improved its internal reporting and investigative processes by creating a “Workplace Assistance Office” that Lynch will oversee.
“The person in charge of this function has created an impartial and independent resource that will help ensure that colleagues’ concerns are dealt with confidentially and as critically as possible,” Goode said.
Goode said the company recently shared details about this new resource with “all colleagues.”
“Our investigation also found that other employees did not fulfill their duties and did not take such allegations with the seriousness we expect, and they are no longer with the company,” she wrote in a memo.
“I want to be very clear: this company does not tolerate harassment or hostile, abusive or discriminatory behavior of any kind by any employee – regardless of position,” she wrote in a memo. “We also will not tolerate inaction on the part of leaders who are responsible for escalating concerns or allegations made by our colleagues.”
Good did not say how many company executives were removed from their posts.
CVS operates over 9,000 pharmacies and the Aetna insurance company, which employs over 300,000 people.
“Our commitment to providing a safe, healthy and respectful work environment for our 300,000 colleagues is stronger than ever,” said Good. “We encourage colleagues to report any incidents – anonymously if they so choose – without fear of retribution. We take complaints seriously, investigate them promptly and take immediate action if necessary.”
In November, CVS management announced that it would begin closing 900 stores across the country over the next three years due to changes in shopping behavior, population size and “future health needs.”
The closure is due to begin this spring, but a company spokesperson previously told the Globe that they would not disclose the addresses of those stores.
Alexa Gagosz can be contacted at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @alexagagosz and on Instagram @AlexaGagosz.