Prevention of Sexual Harassment in the Workplace
Enough stress is in the workplace or on a job site that no one should have to fear her employment is in jeopardy if she refuses to submit to sexual harassment. Whether it takes the form of inappropriate language, gestures, touching, gender discrimination or sexual coercion, it's illegal under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.
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Perception
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Harassers often dismiss claims of intimidation or inappropriate conduct as a joke, offering up the excuse, "Oh, I was just kidding" or "He's the one who started flirting with me. I just played along." Whatever the harasser's true intention was, it's the perception of the victim--coupled with the observations of others--that determines whether unlawful actions have occurred. Further, an individual doesn't have to be a victim of sexual harassment himself to feel offended, uncomfortable, or fearful of sexist attitudes and stereotypes that exist in his workplace or what he sees happening to a coworker. The first step in a prevention program is, thus, delineating the behaviors that constitute sexual harassment and ensuring that every employee is aware of the harm these do to office morale and productivity.
Education and Training
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Not only should every workplace have its sexual harassment policies in writing but it should also conduct continuing education workshops once a year to reinforce the importance of following state and federal mandates. These usually take the form of lectures, videos, case studies, and role-playing exercises to help managers and employees recognize inappropriate behaviors when they see them. Although these educational seminars and workshops aren't required by law, the absence of these resources could prove costly to the company if and when charges of sexual harassment are filed. For smaller companies or those in which a half-day or full-day training workshop isn't feasible, there are a number of self-study programs on the market.
Investigation
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A claim of sexual harassment in the workplace should never be taken lightly. Nor should the victim be told that the problem will go away on its own or that she was probably exaggerating the circumstances. If it's perceived that the employer doesn't care what's going on or that the victim must have encouraged it, the message this communicates to the rest of the staff is an unhealthy one. This not only fosters distrust of management and discourages other victims from coming forward but also creates stress which, in turn, impacts health, attitude, and the ability to do a job. Further, investigations of sexual harassment claims need to be done discretely and confidentially so as not to embarrass either party with rumors that have not been substantiated.
Enforcement
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A sexual harassment policy is only as good as the clarity with which it is communicated and the commitment of the employer to embrace a stance of zero tolerance toward those who break the rules. If the charges of misconduct are proven to be legitimate, action must be taken at once as a warning to other employees that this type of offensive behavior will not be accepted at any level.
Providing Support
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A copy of the company's policies regarding sexual harassment should be included in every employee's work desk manual. Likewise, every new employee should be advised that these policies are in place. Often, however, workers are confused about whether a pat on the back after a successful presentation or a compliment of someone's shoes is a lawsuit just waiting to happen. Further, they're often afraid to ask because they don't want to look clueless. To that end, it's important that employees know there are resources available to answer their questions. A reference to the company's Human Resources department or a unit manager is usually all that's needed.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit Photo by Old Shoe Woman (Creative Commons/Flickr, approved for commercial use).
