Workplace sexual harassment has become common these days and more and more cases are coming forwards each passing day. But to ensure that the workplace environment is not hostile and the employees working there feel safe and productive during the working hours, is completely up to the employer. The onus lies on the shoulders of the employer to ensure that the sexual harassment at the workplace should not take place and a sexual harassment attorney should always be a call away to guide you.

Sexual harassment in the workplace can take numerous forms and it is not always about sex. A coworker or the supervisor can be a victim of it or be an initiator of the acts. The acts of sexual harassment can range from passing inappropriate comments, unwanted touch, promising a raise or a promotion in exchange for sexual favors, and many other forms. Also, it is never about gender, it can be about sex, race, religion, nationality, sexuality, or any other type. But when an employee feels completely unsafe and uncomfortable in any such situation, the employer must take some action and make sure that the work culture is clean.

So, here’s what employers must know about sexual harassment at the workplace.

Adopting a sexual harassment policy

This is the very first thing you must know and act upon it by including a stringent sexual harassment policy in your employee handbook. It must have a proper definition of sexual harassment and that strictly mentions that sexual harassment at the workplace will not be tolerated in any form. There should be a clear and stress-free process that should be mentioned for the employees to report any sexual harassment complaints.

Apart from that, the policy should mention that the company will investigate the incident to the bottom and no retaliation will be tolerated against anyone who files the sexual harassment complaint. When you mention all these things clearly in the employee handbook, be sure that the employees are going to appreciate your efforts and feel safe at the workplace.

Regular monitoring of the workplace

Being an employer, you must be monitoring the workplace all the time to see if any of your employees are feeling any discomfort or suffering from any kind of issues. Go among your employees once in a while and talk to them about the work culture and environment and ask what do they feel about it and how it can be improved. Also, talk to the managers and supervisors if there are any loopholes in the system or if anyone is not cooperating with the company policy. There should always be an open line of communication.

Training the employees

It is extremely crucial to conduct training sessions for your employees, supervisors, and managers once a year about sexual harassment. The training must include what sexual harassment is, what are the different types of harassment, understanding workplace rights, and ethics, and how to protect them. Along with that, training the employees on how they can file a sexual harassment complaint, the entire procedure and the training must encourage the employees to not hide such incidents and come out with it bravely and report.

Legal understanding of the subject matter

Being an employer, you have to be legally literate about sexual harassment at the workplace and the intricacies of the law related to it. If you are not well-worse about sexual harassment at the workplace, you will never be able to address your employees regarding that. Thus, you need to know and understand the federal and state employment laws covering harassment and discrimination. This will also help you recognize and spot any unwanted or inappropriate behavior among the employees, and you can take care of it before it goes to a further extent.

A good employer walks along with all the other employees and sets an example of clean and healthy work culture. And to do that, you need to work a lot and consult a sexual harassment attorney who can make you understand the employer’s responsibility when it comes to dealing with sexual harassment. Just make little changes in the work culture and your employees will feel safe and productive all the time.