Harassment in the Workplace

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They might be reluctant to speak up in meetings or even start to make excuses to miss the meetings altogether.

Attendance usually becomes an issue with harassed employees. The employer may notice that the harassed employee will have numerous tardies and before long start missing work for various reasons. This is all in an attempt to avoid the person doing the harassing.

Harassment is not an easy subject to discuss with others, especially if the victim is embarrassed to come forward. Once discovered, the employer needs to know how to successfully manage the situation.

It is the responsibility of both the employer and employee to prevent workplace harassment. There are online classes and powerpoint presentations to assist companies in educating the workforce on such topics. Employers in Oklahoma are only required to provide training to persons investigating complaints. The areas of education should include but not limited to equal employment opportunity, discrimination, and burdens of proof. All managers and employees should be trained in ways to recognize and effectively report harassment cases in a supportive and timely manner. Policies should be in place to prevent harassment from happening in the first place and also to guide the managers in the event of a complaint.

Understanding what harassment is and educating employees can encourage those being harassed to come forward and at the same time reduce wrongful claims.

There are many forms of harassment in the workplace with the most common being sexual, racial, national origin, and religion. There is a plethora of education material available for leaders and employees training them to be able to recognize and manage these situations as quickly as they arise. The signs are there if someone will just take the time to notice. Nobody should be harassed or made to feel uncomfortable in or out of the workplace.

References

EEOC Home Page. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.eeoc.gov/

Harassment Charges. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://criminal-law.freeadvice.com/criminal-law/violent_crimes/harassment-charges.htm

Identifying and Preventing Harassment in Your Workplace. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.bizfilings.com/toolkit/sbg/office-hr/managing-the-workplace/workplace-harassment-prevention.aspx

Lim Woan, J., & Yazdanifard, R. (2015). The Alarming Trend of Sexual Harassment Occurrences in the Workplace and What Can Be Done. International Journal Of Management, Accounting & Economics, 2(5), 467-480.

Oppenheimer, A., & Pratt, C. (2008). Investigating Workplace Harassment : How to Be Fair, Thorough, and Legal. Alexandria, Va: Society For Human Resource Management.

Risky business to muzzle employee claiming harassment | HR Hero Line. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.hrhero.com/hl/articles/2015/10/02/risky-business-to-muzzle-employee- claiming-harassment/

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Signs of Workplace Harassment. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://woman.thenest.com/signs-workplace-harassment-5025.html

Williams, E. (n.d.). What Is Legally Considered Religious Harassment in the Workplace? Retrieved from http://work.chron.com/legally-considered-religious-harassment-workplace-11817.html