Eeoc and Sexual Harassment

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agencies are able to help victims find lawyers or can appoint lawyers to the case. Sometimes, maintaining anonymity is important to the victim, which is completely understandable. There are some “certain circumstances, an individual, organization, or agency may file a discrimination lawsuit against the employer on behalf of the victim to protect the victim’s identity” (WomensLaw.Org). Not only are there steps that the victims need to take in order to stop any form of sexual harassment within the workplace, the employers must also take steps to ensure that sexual harassment does not occur within the company.

Companies should make sure that the sexual harassment policies are clear and concise. The policy needs to be placed in the employee handbook and should state several things within its contents: 1) the definition of sexual harassment; 2) there is a strict “no tolerance” sexual harassment policy; 3) the disciplinary actions for any wrongdoers; 4) clear procedures for filing sexual harassment complaints; 5) if any complaint is reported, that the company will investigate fully; and 6) state that the company will not tolerate any form of retaliation against someone that brings a complaint of sexual harassment to their attention (Mayhew).

Companies should be making sure that the policies and conduct guidelines within that employee handbook are given to the employees when hired, as well as once a year. This is a preventative step in making sure that the employees are aware of the strict and not tolerated sexual harassment policies put in place and the consequences of that type of behavior. Along with handing out the employee handbook, companies need to be implementing training on harassment prevention. Companies should discuss these training sessions with the “HR department training specialist” (Mayhew) and have them develop training that focuses on the types of sexual harassment within the workplace. By having HR create the training, that will ensure that the training sessions will be “appropriate for all levels of employees from hourly to salary, and from frontline workers to executive leadership” (Mayhew). These training sessions should occur at least once a year and should be mandatory for every employee to attend. If need be, there should be multiple training sessions provided to accommodate different shifts or other issues. The sessions should educate employees on the types of sexual harassment and reiterate that employees have a right to a safe and free from sexual harassment work environment. Training should not just be done for the employees, but training also needs to be given to the management staff. Supervisors and managers need to be trained on sexual harassment policies and procedures separate from the other employees and should be done at least once a year as well. These training sessions should really focus on the proper steps in handling sexual harassment complaints.

Another way companies can prevent sexual harassment within the workplace is by “establishing an effective complaint process” (SHRM). This should be in the employee handbook, as well as discussed during the training sessions. Employees need to know who they are able to contact and that their complaints/concerns will be taken seriously. Management will then handle those complaints by immediately investigating the complaint and take appropriate action against the harasser. If the management staff get involved quickly and act immediately, they are given the opportunity to stop the behavior before the situations escalate into more severe behaviors. Employees should also feel encouraged to speak directly to a supervisor about any type of complaint. It should also be encouraged that if any type of sexual harassment or inappropriate behavior is witnessed by other employees, that the incidents be reported by them as well.

Women started the battle against sexual harassment in the workplace, but now sexual harassment does not discriminate against gender. Men and women of the 19th and 20th centuries went through many trials and tribulations to get the protection deserved from sexual harassment in the workplace today. Now, the EEOC recognizes that harassment is illegal and offers justice to the victims of both Quid Pro Quo and Hostile Work Environment sexual harassment. Also, many different companies have made it apparent that sexual harassment is not tolerated within their company and have implemented steps in hopes to prevent any type of harassment for their employees.

Works Cited

U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (March 19, 1990). Enforcement Guidance. Retrieved September 7, 2016, from https://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/publications/upload/currentissues.pdf.

Cohen, S. (April 11, 2016). TIME History: A Brief History of Sexual Harassment in America Before Anita Hill. Retrieved on September 7, 2016, from http://time.com/4286575/sexual-harassment-before-anita-hill/.

Law Office of Mann & Elias (n.d.). Employment Law Firms: The History of Sexual Harassment Law. Retrieved on September 7, 2016, from http://www.employmentlawfirms.com/resources/employment/workplace-safety-and-health/sexual-harassment-law.html.

Cabrera, M., & Cavanaugh, M. (July 25, 2013). KPBS: A Brief History of Sexual Harassment. Retrieved on September 7, 2016, from http://www.kpbs.org/news/2013/jul/25/brief-history-sexual-harassment/.

SHRM: Society for Human Resource Management (March 17, 2015). What are the Different Types of Sexual Harassment? Equal Employment Opportunity: Sexual Harassment. Retrieved on September 7, 2016, from https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/tools-and-samples/hr-qa/pages/typesofsexualharassment.aspx.

Mayhew, R. (n.d.). How to Prevent Harassment in the Workplace. Houston Chronicle. Retrieved on October 10, 2016, from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/prevent-harassment-workplace-2625.html.

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