A sexual harassment claim from an employee can be a big problem when you run a company. Whether it involves you personally or is related to something that one of your employees is alleged to have done to a colleague, these cases have the potential to be highly damaging.
That damage can be more than financial. They can damage morale, reputation and the ability to hire or retain good staff. While you cannot predict everything that could happen, it is certainly possible to reduce the chance your business finds itself dealing with one of these claims.
Make sure everyone understands you won’t accept it
When someone sexually harasses another person at work, they are most likely expecting to get away with it. One reason an employee might think they will get away with it is that they’ve seen others do so in the past.
Maybe they have seen the employer dismiss a previous claim from someone without investigation, or maybe they’ve seen colleagues do things that would likely be called out and reported in many workplaces, but that no one appears to do anything about here. If you make it clear that sexual harassment will not be accepted in your company, and reinforce that message regularly, you reduce the chance that someone believes they will get away with it.
Your actions speak louder than your words
Simply having a company policy on sexual harassment in the employee handbook and posted on the wall of the lunchroom is not enough if you do nothing when someone does report something. If employees see that you do take a person’s report seriously, carry out a thorough investigation and punish the perpetrator when the evidence supports the claim, it sends a much clearer message than just those written words.
Train all staff
Training sessions can help you be sure that all your employees understand what actions would constitute sexual harassment. You will also need to train your managers in how to handle incidents and reports of them, as poor handling by them could harm your chances of resolving matters without the employee taking it outside the company. If a report of sexual harassment does come up, it’s wise to seek legal guidance to learn how best to handle the matter.