Preventing sexual harassment at work.
It continues to astonish me when employers argue that they took adequate steps to prevent sexual harassment from occurring because their handbooks state they have a zero tolerance policy and they conduct the legally required sexual harassment training.
Is this preventing sexual harassment in your workplace?
Sexual harassment training may be legally required, but the law does not deem this sufficient to prevent it from occurring and as an ultimate defense against sexual harassment claims.
But, what more can an employer do? So much more. Today, we all understand that sexual harassment in the workplace is illegal. We also understand that it still occurs. Why is this if there are zero tolerance policies and sexual harassment trainings? It is because harassers still believe they can get away with it. What could be stemming this belief? Workplace culture. A culture of acceptance and a culture of staying quiet.
When sexually inappropriate statements are made in front of coworkers and no one steps up to say, “hey, that’s not okay,” “hey, that’s not the culture we’re promoting here,” or anything to that effect, harassers are essentially given the go-ahead to continue.
I have heard countless accounts that sexually inappropriate comments are made on the daily in a variety of workplaces. By being a silent bystander, the workplace created a culture of acceptance, and this became the norm. So when a colleague makes a short jab at the opposite sex, instead of facing the zero tolerance policy that’s on the books, the “joke” is laughed at, brushed off, accepted. And why would someone make a complaint to Human Resources or their supervisors when it’s part of the norm? If that’s the case, they won’t because they don’t believe anything will be done about it.
Help change this. Why not nip the conduct in the bud? I’m not just talking about a target of harassment stepping up, but everyone else in the room too. A few quick responses ready to go in your back pocket will be helpful. Next time someone makes a sexually inappropriate comment, you can respond with “that’s not appropriate,” or “I’m sure you didn’t mean that,” or “that’s not in line with the culture of this company.” Read the situation carefully. You never want to put the target of harassment in jeopardy by escalating a situation. If the situation permits, don’t just brush it off and ignore it. Take it a step further and change the culture. Your workplace can become an environment that promotes equality, safety, and support for all.
DISCLAIMER: this information is general in nature and does not constitute legal advice or seek to be the complete and comprehensive statement of the law, nor is it intended to address your specific requirements or provide advice on which reliance should be placed.