NBC News chairman on sexual harassment: ‘We need to do better’

NBC News chairman Andrew Lack said in a memo to employees on Friday that the company needed to do a better job of handling sexual misconduct and mistreatment in the workplace in the wake of the allegations against former “Today” anchor Matt Lauer.

“While our company has had mandatory online training for all employees on sexual harassment and other workplace issues, we need to do better,” Lack said in a memo obtained by The Hollywood Reporter.

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“Therefore in addition to what is already in place, the News Division is launching an immediate effort to implement in-person training on sexual harassment awareness and appropriate behavior in the workplace. We will share more details on this effort very shortly,” he continued. 

The memo comes days after NBC fired Lauer following accusations an employee made of sexual misconduct.

Shortly after Lauer’s termination, Variety published a report detailing numerous allegations against Lauer, which included exposing himself to a female colleague, engaging in a lewd quiz game and giving a colleague a sex toy.

Lack called Lauer’s behavior “appalling” and called for the company to do a better job of making people feel empowered when reporting inappropriate behavior. 

The allegations against Lauer come as women across the country have accused influential men in various industries of sexual misconduct. 

Lauer’s firing follows allegations against “CBS This Morning” host Charlie Rose and former NBC and ABC News political analyst Mark Halperin, who were also fired from their posts.