Overview:

This workshop will start by going over what harassment is, what groups are covered, what laws are included and the role EEOC plays in overseeing compliance.

A strong written policy is the foundation of a good sexual harassment prevention program. It sends a clear message to the workforce and any other interested outside parties that the organization prohibits any form of unlawful harassment. It also instructs victims and/or witnesses on reporting procedures and guarantees that corrective action will be taken to remedy unlawful behavior if and when it occurs.

This workshop will review the components of a sound policy and will include a prohibition statement, definition of harassment, complaint/investigation procedure, corrective action, and non-retaliation.

When a male supervisor harasses a male subordinate by engaging in verbal abuse and taunting gestures, does this constitute harassment? If an employee reports harassment and the complaint is immediately addressed, however, the harassment continues – does the employee have a case for harassment? When two employees are engaged in consensual relations, can this create a sexual harassment claim? The answers may surprise you. These and other actual recent court cases will be discussed along with what the employer should or should not have done to prevent workplace harassment claims, with costly outcomes.

The evolving of social media in the workplace and the impact it has had on harassment claims will be discussed. There is a growing concern of cyberbullying not only in the schools but also in the workplace. How to set workplace policy and practices to avoid such claims will be reviewed.

Behavior within the workplace can create a harmonious and productive environment. In appropriate behavior can create dysfunction, low morale and claims of harassment. Appropriate work place behavior and rules will be talked about and how to address inappropriate behavior. The workshop will cover how people’s behavior can be misinterpreted and how to avoid misunderstanding – all should follow a certain code of ethics established through policy and reinforced by management.

The supervisor is often responsible to represent the employee's needs and to ensure workplace policies are being followed. It is a key role in representing the company’s mission and philosophy. It's not unusual for employees to sometimes see the supervisor as part of "management" while at other times seeing the supervisor as a personal friend. This webinar will review the important role the supervisor plays in overseeing a harassment free environment and how to respond to any claims of harassment.

The workshop will cover what is appropriate behavior and how employees in different industries have different ways of expressing themselves. For example, a server in a restaurant will interact with co-workers differently than co-workers in a bank. Diversity of industries as it relates to employee interaction will be reviewed.

The webinar will end in a summary of what constitutes harassment. Can actions be inappropriate even if they may not be unlawful sexual harassment? How to avoid misunderstandings that could lead to a harassment complaint will be covered.

Why should you attend : With every 1.5% increase in unemployment, there is 21% increase in litigation. Employees can be subjected to all kinds of mistreatment at work including mean, crude, and unfair bosses. People have had to deal with rude behavior by co-employees as long as there has been employment.

Most states are “employment-at-will”. That means, under most circumstances, an employer can do whatever they want as far as the way they treat their employees. No matter how unfair the employer's treatment of an employee, in a lot of circumstances there's nothing the employee can do about it.

While just "general" harassment in the workplace is not actionable, employees do have rights with regard to harassment if the harassment is based on what is called a "protected class." The protected class is a group of persons, which the employment civil rights laws protect. Protected classes include protection from harassment based on sex, age, race, handicap/disability, national origin, and religion. Therefore, if an employer subjects an employee to harassment because the employee is a member of a protected class, it could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. However, focusing on harassment of “protected” groups only is a huge mistake to make. To minimize liability as much as possible and create a professional work environment, employers should investigate all harassment claims and train their supervisors to know how to respond to any inappropriate behavior.

The most typical form of harassment is what is called a hostile environment. The federal and state laws make it unlawful for an employer to subject an employee to a hostile environment based on the above-mentioned classes. A typical hostile environment claim involves sexual harassment. However, it is not the only form of harassment claim that can be made. One of the common issues in a harassment lawsuit is whether or not the employer's policy is in compliance with the law. Just having a written policy is not enough for the employer to protect itself from liability based on its harassment policy.

This workshop will train supervisors and human resources staff on what signs to look for when a hostile environment exists, how to respond to harassment claims and what you should include in your harassment policy.

Areas Covered in the Session

• What constitutes workplace harassment
• How some behavior can be misunderstood and how to avoid any miscommunication as it relates to harassment
• Recent court cases to help participants avoid unnecessary harassment claims
• What components should be included in a harassment policy

Who Will Benefit:

• Managers
• Supervisors
• Human Resources