Every time we turn on the TV or surf the net lately, we are seeing headlines about poor conduct by people in power in the workplace. Harassment? Incivility? Bullying? Discrimination? Which is it? Does it really matter how you label it? It is illegal, extremely expensive, and very damaging to your organization if tolerated.
What can you do to protect yourself and your company? Do you want to be in compliance, but don’t know where to start?
Start right here by asking yourself these questions:
- What kind of a message does your culture send in terms of how people are treated? Are they treated with respect?
- Do all levels of leadership demonstrate the proper behavior? If the answer is “no”, then why not?
- Do all levels of leadership address improper behavior demonstrated by others? Again, if the answer is “no”, why not?
- Do you have a clear policy? Do you follow it? Do you enforce it?
- Have you trained employees on how to recognize harassment and what unacceptable behavior looks like?
- Have you trained leaders on how to recognize harassment and their role in preventing it?
- Are there proper reporting channels for employees who have concerns? Do the employees feel safe making a report of harassment?
- Once a report of harassment is received, is an investigation conducted in a fair and thorough manner on a timely basis?
- Have you appropriately disciplined someone who has been guilty of harassment?
Federal and Wisconsin law do not require harassment training. However, they do require that an employer provide an environment free of harassment and comply with all employment related legislation, much of which deals with how employees should be treated. While training is not mandated, it may be the best way for an employer to ensure compliance with the laws. However, it is not sufficient to simply train the employees occasionally and then do nothing further. You must create an environment in which you demonstrate your intent to provide a harassment-free environment.
In order to respond to the high number of requests from our clients, we have developed training on this very topic. There are two parts to this training – one directed at the general employee population and the other directed at supervisors, managers, and other leaders of the organization, as briefly outlined above.
If you are interested in learning more about this training and bringing it to your worksite, please click the button below. We can discuss your specific concerns to ensure that any training meets your individual needs and is relevant to your organization.
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