Your employees have a responsibility to do their best work. And, of course, they are also responsible for being upstanding individuals to clients and each other.

To ensure that this happens in a mutually successful and productive way, the employee must feel empowered, valued and encouraged to do the right things. From an employer’s standpoint, you must provide and maintain a safe and harassment-free work environment.

If an employee feels harassed, intimidated, abused or discriminated against, they may take action against your company, supervisors, managers or even a fellow employee.

As an employer, it is your responsibility to:

• Ensure that all employees (including management) are aware and to prevent all unlawful behaviors.
• Set up a system for employees to report such incidents and for management to take immediate action to mitigate and resolve these situations.
• Create prevention training program(s) to educate employees at all levels, and most importantly at the management level.

The key to maintaining a harmonious and well-run work environment is to take preventative measures to educate employees about behaviors not tolerated in the workplace. Training not only reduces the incidence of lawsuits, but also reduces employer liabilities if a lawsuit is filed.)

HRFocus offers employers sexual harassment and hostile environment prevention training for employees and management to help avoid pitfalls against offensive behavior and/or litigation. Complete documentation of such training is crucial in the event of lawsuit. (In California, AB1825 requires employers with 50 or more employees to comply with Sexual Harassment Prevention Training at regular intervals.)