As a Gen Xer who grew up reading The Crucible in high school, I’ll admit I didn’t question much about John Proctor back then. We were taught to see him as flawed but noble—a martyr, even.
But watching Kimberly Belflower’s new play John Proctor Is the Villain this past weekend on Broadway — is there a Tony win coming for this show starring Stranger Things’ Sadie Sink? — I saw that narrative unspooled through a sharper, more modern lens. One that younger generations are using to examine all institutions—schools, workplaces, even the law itself.
The play is based in a Georgia high school and follows the story of high school girls who are learning about The Crucible from their dreamy high school teacher. Themes of sexual harassment run deep in the show and the students question what they are being taught and what they are seeing with their own eyes. Is John Proctor — a married man fighting witchcraft allegations from a teenager that he had an affair with — really a hero?
For HR professionals and business leaders, the questions raised in this play should resonate. And the perception that there is a generational shift occurring in how misconduct—particularly sexual harassment—is addressed should also be top of mind.
The play suggests that expectations have changed. And if your organization — whether you’re a school or a private equity firm — hasn’t adapted, you may be further behind than you think.
One of the most compelling threads running through the play is the idea that someone can be both respected and capable of misconduct. That concept challenges the long-standing tendency to equate a person’s professional reputation with their ethical integrity.
In the employment law context, this can be a dangerous trap and is something I talked about a decade ago with the Bill Cosby case (“When Your Model Employee Isn’t Anymore”). We’ve all heard of cases where complaints about a well-liked or high-performing employee are met with skepticism or minimized because “that’s just not who he is.” But under Title VII, employers have a clear duty: investigate all claims of harassment objectively, regardless of the accused’s status within the organization. Courts have routinely rejected defenses based on reputation or character.
Executives should keep in mind: overlooking red flags or mishandling complaints doesn’t just affect morale—it creates legal exposure.
Lorde’s Green Light might be a breakup anthem, but its spirit resonates here and plays a role in John Proctor. “I’m waiting for it, that green light—I want it.” That desire to move forward, to stop accepting the status quo, is emblematic of the girls in the play and the emerging workforce. I’m not going out on a limb when I say that many Gen Z employees expect their companies to stand for something—and to back it up with action.
There are those in this generation that aren’t afraid to speak out, escalate concerns, or challenge institutional narratives. They’ve grown up with viral accountability and understand how to use platforms—both internal and public—to demand change. Employers need to recognize this not as a threat, but as an opportunity to build trust through transparency and integrity.
So as I exited the play into a beautiful spring day in New York, I thought of a few takeaways for employers:
Don’t assume character is a shield. Reputational capital can’t substitute for a fair and thorough investigation.
Refresh your training. Go beyond check-the-box compliance. Make sure your training scenarios reflect the complexity of real-world situations.
Evaluate your reporting mechanisms. Are they accessible? Confidential? Do they work for remote teams and digital-native employees?
Respond promptly and neutrally. Avoid knee-jerk defenses or minimization. Credibility assessments should be grounded in evidence, not familiarity or status.
The Bottom Line
What John Proctor Is the Villain does so well is show us how stories—and the way we tell them—shape institutional behavior. For employers, it’s a reminder that the narratives we accept internally can either uphold integrity or obscure accountability.
The green light is here. Your employees are watching. And your policies, practices, and leadership responses are either clearing the path—or raising red flags.