Randi Frank HR Consulting

Sexual Harassment Prevention

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What should you do if you Experience Sexual Harassment in your Work Place?

Sexual Harassment - What should you do when it happens to you?If you have experienced sexual harassment in your workplace that are similar to the examples in the news then you need to report it.

Hopefully your agency/organization has a Sexual Harassment Prevention Policy that lets you know the proper person to approach to report your issue.  Policies should provide you with a number of options of supervisors, managers, directors or CEO’s.  Find the person you feel most comfortable with to discuss the issue. Management should have been trained to take these cases seriously (and now that everyone is talking about it in the news they should take it seriously).

An investigation should be done to give both the victim and accused the opportunity to be heard. Witnesses will also be questioned. If the investigation is determined in favor of the victim, the discipline or termination of the accuser will depend on the severity of the incident.  If the incident includes exposing oneself or constant touching of males or females then termination may be the answer.

In some cases, where the incident is limited to inappropriate comments, it is likely training will be recommended. This is the reason why training should be done and even small incidents should be reported so the environment does not become one of sexual tension in the workplace. Sexual Harassment Prevention Training will, hopefully, prevent small uncomfortable, inappropriate acts from occurring and escalating into hostile work environments where sex seems to become a job requisite.

If your agency/organization does not have a Sexual Harassment Prevention Policy then you may need to approach an Attorney or contact State or Federal Equal Employment Opportunity type agencies.

See Tips on Sexual Harassment Training for more information on this topic– The tips highlight training as well as what should be included in policies and what companies and agencies should do to create a harassment free workplace that treats everyone with respect.

Contact Randi Frank if you’re not sure your policy or training is up to date.
Randi can give you a quote for Sexual Harassment Prevention Training and Policy Development.

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So, is Sexual Harassment Happening in Regular Business Offices?

Sexual Harassment - It's not just in the headlinesYes, we have heard about the cases in Hollywood, Military, Tech World, and Political Offices but it is also happening in regular business offices. According to the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO), “Sexual harassment is common in the startup community.” A NAWBO survey found that 78% of women founders surveyed said they had been or knew someone who had been harassed.

I have been teaching Sexual Harassment Prevention Training since 1995 and every time I complete a class, I learn about another case of sexual harassment. Here are just a few of the stories I have heard:

  • A young man joined a national recruitment firm. He shared a secretary with his boss. On his first week of work he had a big project that required getting a lot of documents together for a client presentation. He went to the Secretary (female) to ask for her assistance. She said she would help him only if he slept with her. He decided to do the work himself. His boss’s response was oh she is always like that!
  • Another woman told the story that her boss came on to her with flirting type of behavior. When it became more intense and she said no – he moved her out of the good job she had and moved her to another office which was like a demotion. That is called retaliation. She did hire an attorney and received a payment.
  • A young man started his first job after receiving his MBA. He was so excited about his degree and new job. On his first day he walked down the hall past a number of offices. Each of the woman he past held up a card with the number 7 to 9 rating his body. That is just as disrespectful as if it was done to a woman. Employees should be rated by their bosses only on their performance not their body parts.
  • There was a case where a CEO made crude remarks (sexual in nature or jokes) to an Administrative Assistant. She sued the agency and a Manager who witnessed these situations testified that he had heard the remarks by the CEO to the Administrative Assistant. Then the CEO terminated the Manager – the Manager sued and won for retaliation.
  • A Supervisor had sex with his Assistant and the next day that Assistant gets the plum assignment within a Team of 5 other people. Everyone on the Team knows about the Supervisor and Assistant hooking up and they are very uncomfortable working within this Team – This is called a hostile work environment.

See Tips on Sexual Harassment Training for more information on this topic– The tips highlight training, what policies should say and what companies and agencies should do to create a harassment free workplace that treats everyone with respect.

Contact Randi Frank if you’re not sure your policy or training is up to date.
Randi can give you a quote for Sexual Harassment Prevention Training and Policy Development.

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Sexual Harassment Issues Today

Why are women coming forward now, after so many years, to report Sexual Harassment?

The #MeToo movement has taken hold and people are finally talking, listening and taking action. The movement has given many people, women specifically, the courage to come forward.

We often hear the question, “why didn’t they come forward in the past?” Of course the answer is that  they were afraid of losing their job and being black-balled out of their career choice.

The examples in the news are mostly of high powered male bosses or stars that could have affected the careers of the women who had been working toward coveted positions for years. Imagine the frustration of having a plum role or high-level media position offered only to have it seem conditional on inappropriate sexual behaviour.

It’s not just women who are coming forward now with complaints of sexual harassment, there are men who have been harassed by stars too who did not come forward until the #MeToo movement because of concerns about their careers and income.

While most working women are not meeting with high-level media moguls, there are many women who are the sole income earner or part of a two-person income family that can not survive without her job. If the culture is such that the perpetrator is more likely to be believed than the victim, many victims feel they can’t risk their jobs by reporting incidents.

All you have to do is watch the Clarence Thomas hearings when Anita Hill came forward to claim Sexual Harassment.  She was on national television sharing her story in detail for the whole world and Clarence Thomas was still confirmed as a Supreme Court Justice. Many people saw the embarrassment she went through and did not want to put themselves or their families through that ordeal.

Hopefully, the #MeToo movement will finally change the culture so victims will have more power and will not have to risk their livelihoods to protect themselves from unwanted sexual advances.

See tips on sexual harassment training for more information on this topic. The tips highlight training and what policies should say and what companies and agencies should do to create a harassment-free workplace that treats everyone with respect.

Two Quick Tips Taken From Recent Headlines:

  1. Inviting a woman to your home by herself is probably not an appropriate way to conduct professional meetings.
  2. Having a secret button to lock your office door behind someone from your desk is obviously not an appropriate way to conduct professional meetings.

Contact Randi Frank if you’re not sure your policy or training is up to date.
Sexual Harassment Prevention Training and Policy Development.

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Sexual Harassment Prevention: Ten Tips

 

1. All supervisors must be trained on sexual harassment within six months of hire if they can’t show proof that they have already received training.
2. All supervisors must be trained to report any incident to company management, even if it’s not related to their department.
3. All employees should receive a copy of your organization’s Sexual Harassment Prevention Policy.
4. The Sexual Harassment Prevention Policy must include several ways that employees can report incidents or concerns—not just talking with their immediate supervisor.
5. Employees should have the option of speaking with either a female or male manager about their concerns.
6. All employees, including supervisors and management, should receive training on how to report incidents.
7. All employees, including supervisors and management, should receive a refresher course on Sexual Harassment Prevention every 2 to 3 years to remind them about the existing policy.
8. Distribute your Sexual Harassment Prevention Policy every year.
9. If they knew it was happening and did nothing about it, both employers and employees can be sued for Sexual Harassment. (And employees can be arrested if the sexual harassment is really sexual assault.)
10. It is unlawful to retaliate against an employee who files a sexual harassment complaint. Your employees should know this because retaliation cases can cost as much money in the courts as Sexual Harassment cases.

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