Sexual Harassment
Sexual harassment is an issue that most businesses must deal with at one time or another. It is an unwelcome issue that can terrorize employees who are being sexually harassed. Many feel that they cannot do anything about it, especially if there is no sexual harassment policy in the workplace. Sexual harassment is the unwanted sexual advances, both physically and orally, that affect about half of the workplace.
Sexual harassment is not just done by men, women are equally at fault. Women can make men and other women feel uncomfortable in the workplace, just as men can. It is an issue that needs to be taken care of by a strict no-tolerance sexual harassment policy in the workplace. It cannot be taken care of by a firm “talking to” or a slap on the wrist. Most of the issue can be taken care of with sexual harassment trainings that explains what it is and what happens when it occurs. Only when this is done will employees know what it is exactly and what can be done if they are sexually harassed.
Sexual harassment training needs to be done for every employee, from management all the way down to new hires and everyone in between. If the training is done in this way, everyone will know what is acceptable and what is not. They will also learn what to do if they are sexually harassed and what the penalties can be.
What Should Be Taught?
There are many topics that should be included in your sexual harassment training. It must have relevant information for potential victims, and for potential harassers. Both parties should know what it is exactly and what the penalties are for harassing others. Listed below are some of the things that should be taught in your sexual harassment training.
- Sexual Harassment Policy
The first thing you need to do is to have a clear sexual harassment policy that outlines what is sexual harassment and the steps you need to take to report it. It also should have very clear consequences for the employee that wishes to engage in sexual harassment.
- Unwelcome Conduct
Your policy should outline exactly what is meant by unwelcome conduct. This should include any unwelcome sexual advances, whether it is verbal or physical. This can include sexual jokes and talking sexually around those who do not want to hear it. It can also include touches that are sexually motivated such as a touch to the rear end or an unwanted kiss.
- Hostile Work Environment, Quid Pro Quo, and Bullying
A hostile work environment can be as bad as sexual harassment, and harassers can make a work environment hostile by threatening their victims. They can also bully their victims in hopes that this will keep them from reporting them, or quid pro quo, which is what many perpetrators expect. They might even ask for sexual favors for bonuses or raises. All this needs to be reported, just like any sexual advances need to be.
- How to Deal with Harassment
Your sexual harassment policy should include what steps need to be taken to report the perpetrator. There should be a flow chart or some other type of information that shows each step of the process. You want to make sure that victims can feel safe about reporting sexual harassers.
- Bystander Intervention
Your policy should also state what bystanders can do if they see one employee harassing another. There should be clear steps to intervene and to report what they are witnessing: https://www.ilo.org/documents/policy.pdf. The first thing that needs to be done, is that the victim needs to be protected at all costs.
- Illegal Retaliation
The policy should also include a statement that says that any retaliation – from the perpetrator or the management – is illegal and will not be tolerated. It needs to be firmly addressed with clear repercussions that will happen if the victim is retaliated against.
- How to File Complaints
This is another thing that should be clearly stated – how to file a complaint. You should have a safe person whom victims can go to report the harassment. There should also be a way to report that is confidential if the victim wants to remain anonymous. All complaints should be taken seriously and should be investigated.
- Company Procedures for Investigation and Resolution
There should be clear procedures that are followed for investigating complaints. It should include interviewing the victim and the alleged harasser. It should also include interviewing others in the workplace who might have witnessed the harassment. You should also be able to review any camera footage that may be available.
- Federal, State, and Local Anti-Harassment Laws
Your policy should also reference the federal, state, and local anti-harassment laws so that your employees also know what is expected in the workplace. Your policy should keep these laws in mind when creating the policy – that way you know what is legal and what is not.
- Protections Offered by Law
Your policy should also let victims know about the protections they are offered by law in each state. The victims need to know that they can be protected, and that the harasser will not be able to bother them again.