Sexual harassment lawsuits are on the rise.  According to UCLA’s recent statistics, over 400 million dollars where paid by companies for sexual harassment lawsuits.  Prevention is the best tool to eliminate sexual harassment in the workplace.  Sexual harassment is a serious matter especially for business owners. Employers are encouraged to take steps necessary to safeguard the workplace against sexual harassment.

So what can you do to prevent such a disaster?

1. Written Company Policy

The most important step an employer can take to defend against a sexual harassment claim is to have a written company policy prohibiting sexual harassment in the workplace and a defined procedure that puts the policy into operation.  This policy should be part of initial employee training and also should be visibly posted in the workplace as a constant reminder.  This constant reminder will help all employees acknowledge that the company takes this problem very seriously and comes with consequences for those who engage in sexually inappropriate acts against fellow co-workers.

Courts across the United States have found that not having a written policy is the same as not taking reasonable steps toward being aware that sexual harassment is taking place.  Likewise courts have ruled in favor of employers who could prove that they had exercised reasonable care to prevent and promptly correct any sexually harassing behavior, have provided clear definitions of sexual harassment, and have given adequate education on sexual harassment.

What Must A Written Sexual Harassment Policy Contain?

• A clear, concise statement of the law, coupled with a clear statement that such improper conduct will not be tolerated under any circumstances. Employees have a right to know what conduct is being prohibited by the policy.
• The procedure for filing a complaint. What documents to fill out, who to report to and what steps need to be taken.
• A guarantee that complaints will be properly investigated according to procedure with confidentially. Having an outside investigator might be the best way to go in most cases to guarantee subjectivity and confidentiality
• A guarantee that there will be no retaliation against an employee for filing a complaint. This is simply a statement of the law, to which there is no exception. Violation of this guarantee can be extremely expensive for an employer.
• A statement that corrective action will be taken if it is found that sexual harassment has taken place, and that anyone found guilty of harassment will be dealt with appropriately, including disciplinary action that could include firing. Employees must know that there will be severe consequences if the company’s no-sexual-harassment policy is violated.

However, no matter how good or extensive the written policy is, it is worthless if employees are not aware and properly trained.   Copies of the policy should be given to all current employees and to all new employees upon hiring.

2. Security Cameras and Digital Video Surveillance in The Workplace

Strategically implementing security cameras throughout the workplace creates an environment that both prevents sexual harassment and promotes a healthy working atmosphere.  Watching employees’ interactions could be your best way to monitor your employees behavior and stop sexual harassment before it happens. Security cameras will also act as good deterrent since employees will behave and perform better when they know the are being monitored. Security cameras operate as the best and most reliable witness to incidents in the workplace.  Another great advantage of having security cameras monitor the workplace is being able to playback a particular incident and use it in court against fraudulent sexual harassment law suites. 911securitycameras.com will evaluate, customize, and install the best possible security camera solution specifically tailored to meet your business’s needs.  Visit our website at 911securitycameras.com or call us at 1-866-618-2267 to discuss affordable video surveillance options.

3. Train and Educate Your Employees About Sexual Harassment

Provide sexual harassment training for supervisors, managers, and all workers that explains what sexual harassment means and how it can be recognized, confronted, and averted. Recurrent training, at least once a year, should be conducted to remind employees of the existence of the policy.  These sessions should teach employees what sexual harassment is, explain that employees have a right to a workplace free of sexual harassment, review your complaint procedure, and encourage employees to use it. Also employers should conduct yearly training sessions for supervisors and managers that are separate from the employee sessions.  The sessions should educate the managers and supervisors about sexual harassment and explain how to deal with complaints.

As a business owner, manager or supervisor, you have a responsibility to take steps to prevent sexual harassment from occurring, and to respond quickly and appropriately when it has occurred.  The above steps can give you a great start in meeting those responsibilities and, at the same time, reducing your employer liability.

Today, the time is right for businesses to begin to manage their risk in this area more wisely.  Preventing sexual harassment in the workplace does require an investment of time and personnel.  In the end, however, these costs will be offset by significant savings in legal fees and health-care costs.  Companies will also benefit from increased worker productivity.  From a purely business perspective, a company only stands to gain if it takes a no-nonsense position on sexual harassment.
911securitycameras.com can protect your company from allowing the potentially devastating aftermath of sexual harassment effect your financial statement. For more information on how our video surveillance systems can help your company provide a safe work environment for your employees, contact us today at 1-866-618-2267.