How To Handle Harassment in The Workplace?
Now it is very essential to know how to handle employee to employee harassment in workplace. This can be done with the help of developing and implementing a strong complaint procedure. If you know how to handle sexual harassment then it will be beneficial for your organization and will help to address harassment claims properly.
Dealing with Harassment
Sexual harassment does not only affect victims but it also impacts workplace culture and morale. It affects the team performance as the employees tend to build trust issue with leadership. In addition, if proper action is not taken against employee to employee harassment, it could lead to potential legal issues.
When you receive reports of harassment, it can be unsettling. But as the employer, it’s your responsibility to thoroughly investigate each complaint. That’s why it’s crucial to have a clear procedure for handling harassment and to regularly update your anti-harassment policy and training.
Tips for HR
If your organization know how to deal with sexual harassment and know employee harassment law then everyone will feel safe and happier. To start, make it easy for employees to submit complaints. Provide guidance to employees so that they can report harassment.
When handling harassment claims being consistent is utterly essential. Which makes your organization should have a complaint procedure tailored to size, culture and available resources. Your workplace’s complaint procedure should include the following:
- Every complaint is taken seriously.
- Every complaint is addressed immediately.
- Suitable resources are developed to resolve complaints.
- A procedure is established to maintain a healthy work environment for complainants.
- Decisions and actions taken by the organization following a complaint are communicated to all affected parties.
It is significant to have a complete and clear procedure for handling sexual harassment. This is vital prove that your organization completed a thorough investigation in case the complaint leads to legal action.so you should consider creating a training program that cover all the above steps.
What to do Upon Receiving the Complaint?
- Don’t immediately rush towards the conclusion.
- keep your mind open so that you don’t create assumption and pre-judged the situation.
- Take every sexual harassment complaint seriously.
- Treat the complainant with both respect and compassion.
- Encouraging employees to come forward when they encounter harassment at work by demonstrating openness and receptiveness to complaints is important.
- Ensure that you will maintain confidentiality.
Remember that creating a safe and respectful workplace should be your top priority so that know employee feel being harassed at work. By following these steps, you can ensure that sexual harassment complaint is handled with care and empathy.
Advice for Managers
Mostly employees directly go to managers if they face any type of harassment, as they feel less vulnerable than going directly to HR. If this happen then it will be confusing, so in order to deal with it you should keep the following points in mind:
- Report Immediately
- Document Carefully
- Beware of Emails
According to research, organizations should not delay in responding to harassment complaints from its employees. Let the employee know that HR will be involved, this assures them of their safety and the organizations obligation towards them. Remain passive when reporting the situations to the HR department, don’t add any comments and use words of the complainant to describe the behavior. Do not talk in tones that convey bias, refrain from speaking ill of anyone. Remind both HR and the complainant about the fact that emails sent from organizational accounts may be disclosed to third parties during the legal processes.
Conclusion
In order to handle sexual harassment in the workplace is crucial that helps to create a safe and respectful environment. If an organization is able to develop and implement a strong complaint procedure, then you can treat every harassment case with care and ensure open communication which helps to take swift action. If you encourage employees to come forward, maintain confidentiality and provide support and guidance are essential steps in handling harassment claims. By following these guidelines, organizations can create a workplace culture where everyone feels safe and respected.