Creating a respectful workplace requires action. By removing the veil of fear and indifference to bullying and sexual harassment, organizations lay the groundwork for a no-tolerance workplace community. To develop this ethos, leaders must ignite an intentionally inclusive conversation. Not surprisingly, many employees are afraid to complain when harassed. Respect In the workplace and training helps remove the fear of retaliation or the backlash that may be worse than the abuse.
Do this, start training your employees, including remote workers, to differentiate between appropriate and inappropriate behavior and how to prevent it. Tolerating disrespectful behavior in the workplace will cause some employees’ to become unsure if what they are experiencing is unlawful or just annoying. A single comment may not be harassment. But if it is allowed to continue, the situation can deteriorate rapidly. Organizations with these problems will need to update their training.
“If you focus on whats respectful, you will never get to whats illegal.”
Bernadette Jones of Visionova HR Consulting creator of “Respect In The Workplace Starts with Me’ and Igniting an Intentionally Inclusive Conversation, training says, “If you focus on whats respectful, you will never get to whats illegal.” She says, train the trainer harassment, bullying and workplace bias training empowers organizations. Their motivated to educate their leaders and employees about the different types of sexual harassment and the steps they should take to identify, report, address and prevent harassment.”
To facilitate a respectful workplace training or culture reset, the EEOC requires harassment training to include
- Prohibited harassment.
- Conduct that, if left unchecked, might rise to the level of harassment.”
- You should also check your state requirements: New York and California mandate further training about sexual harassment.
Sexual Harassment: Do Your Leaders and Staff Know the Definition?
Is sexual harassment a form of sex discrimination? Yes, and sex discrimination is prohibited by Title VII of the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964. The entity responsible for enforcement of Title VII is the EEOC. EEOC defines sexual harassment as demands or requests for sexual favors, unsolicited sexual advances, and other physical or verbal behavior or conduct that is sexual nature: That creates a hostile work environment directly or indirectly inhibits an individual’s work or is made a term or condition of employment.
In her training Respect In the Workplace Starts With Me” training Bernadette says, ” sexual harassment isn’t always of a sexual nature”. Sometimes derisive comments about a person’s gender or broad generalizations about men or women can also be illegal harassment. Leaders within your organization must know how to identify and address inappropriate workplace (including remote workplaces) behavior so that it does not get worse.
That being said, some behaviors are never acceptable and should not be tolerated, including:
- Lewd jokes
- Rumors about a co-worker’s sex life
- Unwanted physical contact
- Requesting sexual favors
- Making lewd noises or sexual innuendos
- Talking about sex
- Referring to your co-workers with pet names like “babe,” “sweetie,” or “honey.”
Who Can be a Harasser?
Harassment can occur anywhere that people work together, regardless of age, sex, gender or education. Respect in the workplace is everyone’s responsibility, CEOs to interns. All need to be educated to identify, address, and prevent sexual harassment in the workplace. The EEOC recognizes that a failure to address harassment in the workplace goes beyond the individuals involved. A workplace culture that permits bad behavior increases the risk of sexual harassment claims.
Training
Preventing sexual harassment in the workplace should be a high priority for employers. Training has an essential role in teaching employees how to identify, prevent, and address inappropriate behaviors before they become illegal behaviors. With a deeper understanding of sexual harassment and the forms it can take, you can help your organization prevent future incidents. Be proactive, be intentionally inclusive and have those conversations.
