Going to work should be a pleasant experience where we collaborate with others to help our employer reach their business goals. Along the way, strong bonds often form with coworkers, enhancing the daily grind as we trade time for money.
Unfortunately, there are bad experiences at your job that are defined as harassment, and this makes for an uncomfortable and sometimes hostile work environment. It could be visual, verbal or even physically offensive, humiliating, embarrassing or demeaning actions, and no one should ever be exposed to this behaviour.
This is how HR should handle harassment in the workplace. Dealing with hostile and aggressive behaviour among employees is not an easy path to navigate. Still, with proper HR training and HR consulting, you can effectively protect those within your company and decisively deal with conflict.
How should HR handle harassment in the workplace?
Listen to All Employees Involved
As an HR representative, you are in a mediation role between the accuser and the complainant. When someone comes to you to report harassment, it must be handled swiftly to keep everyone safe. Resist prejudging the situation, regardless of the accusation and never make assumptions.
Start by listening to what incident(s) occurred and offer support and comfort. Ensure you take it seriously and ensure the person that you will resolve it, maintaining confidentiality as much as possible. Next, meet with the accused and hear their side of the story. They must have the opportunity to explain themselves and their actions so you can understand the situation.
If there are other witnesses to the harassment, meet with them separately to get their perspective. These unbiased statements ensure the accused is fairly trialled for their actions.
HR Consulting
Often, there is a need to get outside professional advice and help for harassment concerns in the workplace. If HR has not dealt with harassment or if it is a complicated issue, reaching out to an HR consulting firm is a wise choice.
They have the experience and manpower to swiftly deal with harassment cases. They can instruct and guide your team following company and industry standard procedures and policies. They are also trained in workplace investigations to ensure you reduce your exposure to any liability in the future.
Ultimately, HR departments foster a culture of respect and represent the company’s ethics policies. This includes prioritizing the safety of all individuals while onboarding employees and conducting training programs to teach about ethical behaviour and professionalism at work.
It should also be conveyed that there is a zero-tolerance policy against harassment and that compliance is mandatory in reporting and filing harassment cases. Ensure you are approachable and receptive to complaints so people can come to you for help when they experience harassment.
Document Everything
The key to being effective during a harassment issue is to document the incident thoroughly. As you meet with all parties involved, take extensive notes; these are first-person accounts you can refer to later.
After all your discussions and note-taking, compile the documents and your preliminary assessment and use this file as a reference. At the same time, you decide on the proper sanction for the accused. These documents may also guide you when enacting further policies towards harassment.
Take Immediate Action
Depending on the type of harassment, you may need to immediately separate or suspend an employee to avoid any more conflict. Once you have ensured a safe work environment, prepare your case for initiating legal actions and proceedings.
Workplace Harassment
Workplace bullying is generally described as degrading, intimidating, offending, or humiliating another worker. It often occurs in front of other employees, clients, and customers. Likewise, sexual harassment encompasses unwanted and inappropriate touching or other advances of a sexual nature. It may also involve sharing visual pornography, making sexual jokes, and engaging in digital sexual communications.
Racial Discrimination
Racial discrimination is unacceptable in the workplace; workers should never be discriminated against based on their racial or ethnic profile. Similarly, gender-based discrimination is not allowed – a person’s gender should not make them a target of harassment or call into question their ability or competence in a specific role.
Verbal Harassment
Verbal harassment is when someone uses words and negative comments to insult, manipulate, or even scare another employee. This can also be cyber harassment through electronic means and social media platforms. Being on the receiving end of such abuse can lead to a loss of self-confidence and feelings of helplessness, loneliness, and vulnerability.
Physical Harassment
Physical harassment involves non-sexual touching, pushing, causing injury, and damaging property. This type of misconduct has no place in a professional setting. You must determine if the incident requires an investigation or mediation will resolve the conflict.
