ConsultStu

How to Strengthen and Improve Your Harassment Avoidance Program

Harassment prevention is a critical aspect of any workplace culture. In April, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) issued a technical assistance document titled “Promising Practices for Preventing Harassment in the Federal Sector,” which provides practical tips for preventing and addressing harassment within the federal civilian workforce. Private sector employers can review the guidance and use it to strengthen and improve their harassment avoidance program.

The “Promising Practices” document provides recommendations in four main areas: 1) leadership and accountability, 2) comprehensive and effective anti-harassment policy, 3) effective and accessible anti-harassment program, and 4) effective anti-harassment training.

Leadership and Accountability: Establish and maintain an effective EEO/Harassment program and demonstrate commitment and accountability from company leaders. Key actions may include: adequate funding for the program, access to neutral staff to assist with investigations, a commitment to complete investigations within 10 days, conducting periodic climate surveys and considering the use of an anonymous concern line for employees.
Comprehensive and effective anti-harassment policy: Have a comprehensive policy that clearly defines harassment, outlines the types of conduct that are prohibited, and provides a reporting mechanism for employees who experience or witness harassment. Key items for your policy include: covering applicants and employees, assure that bullying, intimidation, and stalking are referenced and not be tolerated, being easy to understand (limited legalese), covering social platforms and time limits for concluding investigations.
Effective and accessible anti-harassment program: Make sure all employees understand the policy and know how to report incidents of harassment. Clear reporting and complaint procedures to ensure the company properly respond to harassment allegations. Key actions may include: anonymous methods for reporting, creating a well-documented complaint tracking system, analyzing data for trends and patterns and training employees on the difference between EEO policy and non-harassment policy.
Effective anti-harassment training. Provide regular training to all employees on harassment prevention, including what constitutes harassment, how to report it, and the consequences for engaging in harassing behavior. Offer training to employees as well as supervisors, provide “real life” examples in the training, have a question and answer portion to the training, tailor training to your workforce, and use smaller groups to enhance engagement.

By reviewing the EEOC’s recommendations for federal agencies, your company can learn of ways to create a workplace culture that is safe and respectful for all employees and ensure that your company is taking proactive steps to prevent and address harassment.

HR Categories

1095C form 300 Log 401(k)8(a)(1)Accommodation Affordable Care Act Americans with Disabilities Act Arbitration ARPA Audits Background screening Bilingual Bonuses Business Expenses Cannabidiol (CBD)CDC CDL CFPB Child labor CHIP Notice Christmas party Clearinghouse COBRA Commercial Motor Vehicle Driver Company Culture Company Property Compensation Compliance Concerted Activity CONNECT Construction consultstu Consultstu Team Contagious disease Coronavirus Craft Beer Department of Labor Direct Threat Disabilities Discrimination DOT Downsizing and Restructuring Dress Code Drivers Drug and Alcohol Drug Free Workplace E-Verify EEO-1 Form EEOC Employee benefits Employee Handbook Employee Illness Employee Injury Employee Misconduct Employee Policies Employee Recognition Employee Referral Employee Rights Employment Poster ERISA Essential functions Executive Order Exempt Employee Exit Interview Fair Credit Reporting Act Fair Labor Standards Act Fall Protection Federal Contractors FFCRA Financial Well-being Firearm Fitness for Duty Florida rules Fluency FMCSA FMLA Form 5500 Form W-4 Fractional HR Gender Non-conformity General HR Questions Goal Setting GPS Group Health Insurance Harassment Hiring Holidays HR Compliance HR Costs HR Resources HR software Human Resources Human Trafficking I9 Form Immigration Independent Contractor Individualized Assessment Injury Statistics Insurance Interviews Investigations IRS ITA Job Description Job Post Joint Employer K1 Leave of Absence Leaving a PEO Management Manager Medical Exams Medical Marijuana Minimum Wage Morale National Origin New Hire NLRB No-match letter Non-complete Agreements Onboarding Opioids OSHA Outplacement Overtime Paid Leave Pay Cards Pay or Play Paycheck Protection Program Payroll Payroll Protection Program Performance Improvement Plan Performance Review Personnel File Post offer medical questionnaire Posters Pregnancy Publix Immigration Certification Reasonable Accomodation Recall Letter Record Keeping Recruiting Religion Remote employees Restaurants Resume Retaliation Retention Retirement Rewards Risk Management Safety Salaried employees SBA Section 7 Rights Self Appraisal Sick Leave SMART goals Social Media Social Security card Start up Taxes Temporary Employee Termination Tipped Employees Title VII TPD Benefits Training Unemployment Uniforms USCIS Vaccines W2 W4 Wage and Hour Wellness program Work from Home Workers Compensation Workplace Monitoring Wrap Plans

Show All Categories

Show Less Categories