Business people understand the benefits of being more proactive and less reactive. It helps companies get ahead and keeps business moving along – after all, you can’t drive straight looking in the rear view mirror.
One of the biggest reactive situations we see over and over again is unanticipated and out of the blue harassment issues. Harassment takes many forms, unlawful harassment that is based in federal and state regulations around discrimination and protected class, and the dreaded topic of sexual harassment.
Hundreds to thousands of dollars can be lost combatting claims in court. Hours upon
hours are lost preparing for investigations, claims and lawsuits. Even if you have insurance, like EPLI (employment practices liability insurance), the thing you can’t possibly anticipate – before it happens to you – is the fact that you still have to spend countless hours investigating, responding and preparing. This takes time, a ton of money, and frankly, as a business owner, the real threat is the distraction. While you’re fending off a claim, that feels irrational, emotionally draining and financially ruinous, you’re not keeping your eye on the business ball.
You’ve heard the war stories on what can happen to company’s finances and culture when someone files a harassment claim. Some of the biggest news headlines deal with large harassment cases and this isn’t a new trend. Harassment continues to be a significant problem in the workplace, and many employers simply don’t know how to be proactive about it.
6 things you need to know about your sexual harassment policy
- Do you have a sexual harassment policy?
- Does your policy cover unlawful harassment?
- Have you communicated the policy to your employees?
- If you have harassment policies in your employee handbook already, have your employees signed off acknowledging it?
- Have you trained your managers on what to do if they receive an employee complaint or investigatory call?
- Do your employees know the reporting process they should use if they feel that something should be reported?
If your answers to the above are yes, you’ve got a great start – however having employees simply reading a policy and signing off on once doesn’t mean that it sank in. Harassment policies need to continually be addressed so that everyone knows where the company stands and who to speak to in case any issues come up.
It can be an uncomfortable topic to bring up, but it is definitely a conversation worth having. We recommend Harassment Training for all managers and employees at least once a year to clarify your policy and refresh their memories about what is, and what isn’t, acceptable in your workplace.
If you need help creating a policy or creating a custom presentation, we can help. We create custom presentations for our clients, and try to make sexual harassment training as fun possible. Information will stick if your employees can enjoy it, at least a little. Call 913.940.5391 or email us at info@hr-haven.com for more information. Get ahead of this one, and maybe you can avoid a financial, organizational, and emotional mess down the road.