Employers do more protecting business and employees
In the wake of the #MeToo movement, employers and human resources staff are looking more deeply into what’s needed to protect their workers and businesses.
When an employer leaves sexual harassment and violence unchecked in their companies, the public now sounds the alarm and loudly boycotts those businesses. Employers have more than potential lawsuits to fear. They risk losing customers and community support if they don’t step up to create safe work environments.
Are you considering ways to protect your employees and business? In an online article “The Top 10 Things Employers Can Do Right Now to Address Sexual Harassment in the Workplace,” Linda Seabrook, general counsel for Futures Without Violence offers a list of suggestions
paraphrased
below.
• Establish leadership to address sexual harassment. Make the workplace culture respectful from the top down. All sexual comments, jokes, inappropriate remarks, uninvited touching should be expressly prohibited, not tolerated. Coworkers and supervisors need to be enrolled in creating accountability and being active bystanders, not turning a blind eye and remaining silent.
• Consult with employees at all levels. Use an anonymous survey to ask workers to share what is happening in the workplace and if there are unaddressed concerns. Results will help management set an action plan responsive to the employees’ feedback.
• Share with employees in a general way about what was learned from the anonymous surveys. Be clear what the expectations are of the workplace, supervisors, employees and customers or patients. Encourage employees to contribute what they would like to see going forward and use their contributions in the action plan.
• Look at gender equality and gaps. By now most people know sexual harassment isn’t about sex, but about power. If women are not sharing in the power structure of the business, fairly and equitably compensated, listened to with respect, or meaningfully contributing to decisions, then the culture will be one that allows sexual harassment to happen.
• Establish workplace policies stating how management will address sexual harassment. Include addressing confidentiality, structure and steps for reporting issues, and guidelines for accountability. All policies must ensure protections against retaliation for victims and witnesses reporting abuses.
• Ensure all performance review processes include accountability if the person has perpetrated abuse, harassment or disrespectful acts in the workplace, whether toward co-workers or customers. A person who may be a rock star in other job performance areas is not worth keeping if they cause harm in the workplace in terms of morale and legal liability.
• Conduct mandatory, in-person training for all employees on sexual harassment and don’t stop at legal liabilities of harassment and assault. Include steps needed by management and workers in preventing abusive conduct, policies and procedures, and the in-house and community resources that are available to workers.
• Create a culture of support and respect clear to all what is acceptable behavior, where support and ethical camaraderie is the standard shared and encouraged by co-workers and management.
• Establish complaint procedures protecting the confidentiality of workers or customers reporting harassing and abusive behaviors. Businesses can display posters and specific policy and procedure sections in their business. Post resource information for confidential, free access to victim-services providers.
• Include all workers in active-bystander intervention training.
CAV staff can assist in workplace education and be business and employee resources. For businesses who want to be successful in eliminating sexual harassment, everyone must be an active part.
Malinda Williams is the executive director of Community Against Violence, Inc. (CAV) which offers FREE confidential support and assistance for adult and child survivors of sexual and domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking; community and school violence prevention programs; re-education BIP groups for domestic violence offenders; counseling; shelter; transitional housing; and community thrift store. To talk with someone or get information on services available, call CAV’s 24-hour crisis line at (575) 758- 9888 or TaosCAV. org.
Employers have more than potential lawsuits to fear: they risk losing customers and community support if they don’t step up to create safe work environments.