Steps should employers take to reduce the risk of sexual harassment in the workplace

Full Answer Section

     

• Create a culture of respect. Employers should create a workplace culture where all employees feel respected and valued. This can be done by promoting diversity and inclusion, and by providing opportunities for employees to learn about and discuss sexual harassment.
• Encourage employees to report sexual harassment. Employees should be encouraged to report sexual harassment without fear of retaliation. Employers should have a clear and accessible reporting procedure in place.
• Investigate all allegations of sexual harassment promptly and fairly. All allegations of sexual harassment should be investigated promptly and fairly. The investigation should be conducted by a neutral party and should be thorough and confidential.
• Take appropriate action against those who engage in sexual harassment. Appropriate action may include discipline, up to and including termination of employment.

Here are some reasons why disciplinary layoff and discharge decisions should be restricted to higher levels of management:

• To ensure fairness and consistency. Disciplinary layoff and discharge decisions can have a significant impact on an employee's livelihood. It is important to ensure that these decisions are made fairly and consistently, and that they are not based on personal biases or prejudices.
• To avoid conflicts of interest. In some cases, there may be a conflict of interest between the employee and the manager who is responsible for making disciplinary layoff and discharge decisions. For example, the manager may be friends with the employee, or the manager may have a personal stake in the outcome of the decision.
• To protect the confidentiality of the process. The disciplinary layoff and discharge process should be confidential to protect the privacy of the employee and to avoid any potential for retaliation.

It is important to note that these are just some of the steps that employers can take to reduce the risk of sexual harassment in the workplace. The best way to prevent sexual harassment is to create a workplace culture where all employees feel respected and valued.  

Sample Answer

     

• Have a clear policy against sexual harassment. The policy should be written in plain language and should be easily accessible to all employees. It should define sexual harassment and outline the consequences for engaging in it.
• Train all employees on the policy. Training should be comprehensive and should cover the definition of sexual harassment, the different types of sexual harassment, and the reporting procedures.