{"id":4889,"date":"2019-03-27T14:59:18","date_gmt":"2019-03-27T14:59:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hrdirectapps.com\/blog\/?p=4889"},"modified":"2021-11-22T18:30:42","modified_gmt":"2021-11-22T18:30:42","slug":"addressing-workplace-harassment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hrdirectapps.com\/blog\/addressing-workplace-harassment\/","title":{"rendered":"Addressing Workplace Sexual Harassment is Vital in Wake of #MeToo Movement"},"content":{"rendered":"In the fall of 2017, the <em>#MeToo<\/em> movement quickly became a global phenomenon after celebrity Alyssa Milano encouraged sexually harassed citizens to share <em>#MeToo<\/em> on social media to indicate they were a victim. It led to a well-documented year of powerful people in disgrace and organizations discovering on-the-job sexual harassment is rampant.\r\n\r\nMore than a year later, the movement continues to shed light on what has become one of the most significant human resource stories in decades. Because more and more people have been willing to step forward with their personal accounts, companies big and small have felt the impact. These 2018 statistics from the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eeoc.gov\/eeoc\/newsroom\/wysk\/preventing-workplace-harassment.cfm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Equal Employment Opportunity Commission<\/a> (EEOC) are incredibly sobering:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>The EEOC filed <strong>41 lawsuits<\/strong> that included allegations of sexual harassment\u2014more than a <strong>50 percent increase<\/strong> over 2017.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Charges filed with the EEOC alleging sexual harassment <strong>increased 13.6 percent<\/strong> over 2017.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>The EEOC recovered nearly <strong>$70 million<\/strong> for sexual harassment victims through litigation and administrative enforcement \u2014 up from <strong>$47.5 million<\/strong> in 2017.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Hits on the EEOC\u2019s sexual harassment web page <strong>more than doubled<\/strong> as individuals and employers sought information to deal with workplace harassment.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nLet\u2019s consider those words carefully: Deal with workplace harassment. Is it something we should \u201cdeal with\u201d or should we make a concerted effort to eliminate it from business culture altogether?\r\n<h2>Understanding the Impact of Sexual Harassment<\/h2>\r\nIt\u2019s easier said than done, but it\u2019s something every small business owner must consider. And it\u2019s going to be an uphill battle if perceptions like these don\u2019t change:\r\n\r\n<!-- Did you know? Stacked -->\r\n<div class=\"smartTip row\">\r\n<div class=\"col-xs-12 \"><img id=\"SmartTip\" class=\"img-responsive\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hrdirectapps.com\/blog\/wp-content\/themes\/hrdirectapps\/images\/did-you-know.jpg\" \/><\/div>\r\n<div class=\"col-xs-12 smartTipContent\">\r\n\r\n51% of respondents in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pewsocialtrends.org\/2018\/04\/04\/sexual-harassment-at-work-in-the-era-of-metoo\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Pew Research Center<\/a> survey say the increased focus on sexual harassment and assault will lead to \u201cnot much difference\u201d for women in the workplace. And 51% said the focus has made it \u201charder\u201d for men to know how to interact with women in the workplace.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\nAnd this survey was conducted in February-March of 2018 \u2014 while the headlines were coming fast and furious!\r\n\r\nWhat\u2019s a small business owner to do?\r\n\r\nFirst, it\u2019s important to recognize the impact harassment can have on your business. Let\u2019s look at a few scenarios to help you better understand the culture that might materialize if harassment isn\u2019t addressed.\r\n\r\n<strong>\r\nSituation #1: The Victim.\r\n<\/strong>\r\nIt\u2019s all too common for sexual harassment targets to keep quiet for fear of being outed and ridiculed by peers \u2014 He was only kidding \u2026 Why did you take him seriously? There\u2019s also the legitimate fear of retaliation from the person reported. As you can imagine, a common response to harassment is anxiety, both at and away from the workplace. Depending on the individual, the impact can be significant and even lead to depression, especially if the harassment is ongoing, undetected and unreported. Victims often change their work routines to avoid potential interaction with the offender. This could lead to reduced productivity and increased tardiness or absenteeism \u2014 not because they aren\u2019t a good employee, but due to a desire to avoid conflict. Another point to consider for small business owners: The smaller the business, the harder it is for the victim because there is literally nowhere to hide.\r\n\r\n<strong>\r\nSituation #2: The Witnesses.\r\n<\/strong>\r\nIf the offender is persuasive and well-liked, chances are good other employees may take sides \u2014 even if they believe the behavior is inappropriate. It is not uncommon for others to apologize on behalf of an offender, passing off the situation as a one-time offense by saying things like \u2026 It was all in good fun \u2026 Don\u2019t be so uptight. If the inappropriate behavior isn\u2019t reported, the offender suffers no consequences and, potentially, feels empowered to continue his harassing ways. This, too, has a negative impact on your business because those who witness harassment aren\u2019t always comfortable reporting it. Even if it comes to light weeks later, they may not offer insight due to guilt that they didn\u2019t act sooner. This leads to even more anxiety in the workplace if no action is taken.\r\n<h2>Do Something \u2026 Now!<\/h2>\r\nAccording to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/us-news\/large-majority-americans-say-there-sexual-harassment-job-n825121\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">November 2017 NBC survey<\/a>, fewer than one in five companies made an effort to discuss appropriate conduct, hold training or change sexual policy in the wake of the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements.\r\n\r\nEight months later, however, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.challengergray.com\/press\/press-releases\/metoo-survey-update-more-half-companies-reviewed-sexual-harassment-policies\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">June 2018 survey<\/a> by career consultants Challenger, Gray &amp; Christmas, Inc., found that companies were responding: 52% said they had reviewed their sexual harassment policies, up from 34% in January.\r\n\r\nNow, for the big questions: Do you have a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hrdirectapps.com\/company-policies\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">sexual harassment policy<\/a>? Have you provided harassment-prevention training for employees and managers? If not, there\u2019s no time like the present to ensure no one experiences a #MeToo moment on your watch.\r\n\r\nAs daunting as it might seem to address such a monumental task, you don\u2019t have to go it alone. You can address workplace harassment head on with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hrdirectapps.com\/harassment-training\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Harassment Training Smart App<\/a>, which allows employees and managers to undergo cost-effective and thorough online training. The app lets you easily conduct individual training with employees and keep records of completion dates to maintain compliance.\r\n\r\n<!-- Key Takeaways -->\r\n<div class=\"greenBorderTipBox\">\r\n<div class=\"gbTitle\">Key Takeaways<\/div>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>#MeToo created awareness around a problem many business owners weren\u2019t of.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Sexual harassment lawsuits and charges increased dramatically in 2018.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Productivity can be severely impacted if harassment isn\u2019t reported.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Both victims and witnesses can experience anxiety in harassment situations.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Having a harassment policy and providing training is an important first step to addressing it.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In the fall of 2017, the #MeToo movement quickly became a global phenomenon after celebrity Alyssa Milano encouraged sexually harassed citizens to share #MeToo on social media to indicate they were a victim. It led to a well-documented year of powerful people in disgrace and organizations discovering on-the-job sexual harassment is rampant. More than a&#8230; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hrdirectapps.com\/blog\/addressing-workplace-harassment\/\" class=\"readMore\">read&nbsp;more<\/a>","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":4892,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[32,2],"tags":[34],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v18.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Addressing Workplace Sexual Harassment is Vital<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In 2019 sexual harassment is continuing to occur at staggering rates. Learn how to appropriately address these issues in your business proactively.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hrdirectapps.com\/blog\/addressing-workplace-harassment\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Addressing Workplace Sexual Harassment is Vital\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In 2019 sexual harassment is continuing to occur at staggering rates. 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