Describe The Actions A Business Should Take To Protect Itself Form A Sexual Harassment Lawsuit By An Employee.
Q: Describe the actions a business should take to protect itself form a sexual harassment lawsuit by an employee.
A: To start with try honesty with yourself and your employees. Let them know in no uncertain terms that all employees are valued and that any form of harassment whether sexual or otherwise will not be tolerated. You should have an employee handbook that lists the steps involved in rectifying any incident of harassment; e.g., go to your supervisor, If you can't go to that person's supervisor, etc. Explain to your supervisors that they need to take action if anyone presents a complaint of harassment (or any other illegal issue) they need to contact the appropriate person in management and let management take care of the situation. You should also list somewhere in your handbook what you will do as desciplinary actions for various offenses. Typically, you will want to keep this area vague. Try something like "management reserves the right to conduct disciplinary actions ranging from verbal warnings to immediate discharge, depending on the situation and the attention merited." Notify the victim of what disciplinary action was taken. Make sure that if you give an employee a second chance, that the punishment needs to be stiffer on the repeated offense. Make sure you note the action taken in the employee's personnel folder.