A recent survey found that most employees have faced sexual harassment in the workplace, which is not surprising given the recent events that have brought sexual harassment to the forefront of our society. Some responses to these incidents are promising, and some are not. What do you think is necessary to reduce harassment at workplaces? Obviously, the employees should be, first of all, properly educated about sexual harassment and the subsidiary laws.
Maybe companies and organizations with the assistance of a sexual harassment lawyer San Antonio should educate their employees on the topic. A person has to understand the implications of sexual harassment and other kinds of harassment. Empowerment is needed so that employees do not talk but act against it. Some people say that they have experienced it, but they did not act on it because they felt powerless. And that shouldn’t happen anymore.
Here are 4 different ways you can educate your employees about sexual harassment and its consequences.
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Have the top-level executives set an example
The top executives should spread the message about how their organization deals with this issue. Make it clear to everyone at the workplace that the organization does not stand for any kind of inappropriate behavior. If your top executives are setting a good example, it will set an example for the rest of the employees too.
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Define unacceptable behaviors in official policies
It is for sure that when there is no written policy, it will be difficult to define what harassment is. But an official policy with clear definitions would definitely help in determining what behavior you can tolerate and what not.
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Implement workplace harassment training exercises
This is probably the easiest and fastest way for you to educate your employees about issues like sexual harassment. You can have one workplace harassment training exercise that is conducted at regular intervals so that all the employees are aware of the consequences of sexual harassment.
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Outline reporting procedures and investigate claims
When someone files a complaint or allegation of sexual harassment, it is important to set up a procedure for reporting the matter. If you have a formal policy, you can easily follow it. This way, the claims would be best investigated, and they would be resolved in an effective and timely manner. Make sure that the management addresses the issue and resolves it in a time-bound manner. Don’t let it linger!