Dealing with harassment can be difficult, especially when you don’t know what to do about it. Today, many men and women experience uncomfortable situations due to the rampant increase of sexual harassment at work. But you should never tolerate harassment for its unlawful conduct no one should suffer from – especially at work.
That’s why human resource teams must have long-term solutions to end workplace harassment. And once your employees encounter unwelcome advances or subtle requests for sexual favors, you should contact a law office immediately to assist you with their case.
Since HR professionals have the power to address and emphasize these concerns, they can also help revamp the workplace culture and turn it into a harassment-free space. So, to give you an idea about what you can do as an HR professional, we’ve come up with a step-by-step guide on how to deal with being harassed at work.
1. Encourage Discipline in the Workplace
As an HR professional, the first step you need to take is to encourage discipline in the workplace through activities and discussions. With these events, you can promote a respectful workplace where gender stereotypes are discouraged.
Also, emphasize gender bias shouldn’t be tolerated and speak about how anyone can be a victim of harassment despite the gender, so ensure everyone will respect each other without biases.
2. Promote Bystander Intervention
Stepping forward to speak about your abuser can be difficult. However, if you encourage bystander intervention, this can help victims get the justice they deserve little by little. This step also creates a support system for the victims and encourages them to fight for their rights.
Studies show how vital bystander intervention is in harassment cases. Simply because having an eye-witness to an unlawful act can help elevate the victim’s claims. Simultaneously, this act can promote speaking up to harassment as people are now rest-assured their abusers will face the consequences of what they’ve done.
Moreover, experts say handling and reporting harassment incidents form trust between employees and the human resource team. It also assures victims that their HR takes their concerns seriously, building safer workplaces free of gender bias and harassment.
3. Establish Specific Training for Managers and Supervisors
Since managers and supervisors are usually the ones in direct contact with employees, establish training to improve behavior and create respectful workers. Provide seminars and courses wherein they’ll be able to recognize harassment around them easily.
Also include sufficient training wherein they’re taught how to comfort and file for the victim’s behalf. And ensure they fully understand how either men or women can be perpetrators of harassment, and you should impose that no one in the workplace should tolerate abusers for their actions.
4. Have Everything Recorded
Whether you have a video copy of the harassment or simply through a written report from the victim – make sure to have everything recorded. With these records or files, you’re rest-assured you have evidence for your case.
Also, keep copies of any work performance evaluations or memos so that when the company policy allows – they can quickly review your personnel file. Afterward, gather all the information you can get, from eyewitnesses to situations you can investigate to establish the initial complaint.
5. Ensure Every Employee Knows How to Deal With Being Harassed at Work
The last step is to ensure everyone in the workplace knows how to deal with being harassed at work. To do this, have staff meetings wherein the processes for filing and reporting a harassment complaint are clearly laid out.
Also, have everybody understand the advantages of speaking out versus disadvantages and encourage everyone to take each report seriously. Guarantee as well that the company will investigate and seek help from the law enforcement team when needed.
With this commitment from the leaders and staff, it’s certainly possible to create a workplace wherein any form of harassment isn’t welcome. If any unwanted behavior arises, give them your word that you’ll hold abusers accountable for their actions to ensure your workers’ security.
Takeaway
To sum it up, as an HR, you must remember that creating a system wherein your employees know how to deal with harassment at work can form trust and bond within the company. This fact also ensures everyone in the workplace is safe and secure from any abusers and will lead to better working habits.
In the end, following these five steps from encouraging discipline in the workplace to guiding them on how to deal with harassment can be the start of a zero-tolerance anti-harassment policy at work. It will also promote harassment awareness where your workers can apply good actions, not only in the workplace but outside as well.