13 Tips for Leaders to Prevent Harassment

Business leaders need to understand how harassment can take place, and its overwhelming impact on employees and a company. Taking preventative measures is perhaps the most-effective method to avoiding potential pitfalls.

Our recent webinar, “Harassment Prevention for Leaders,” detailed a broad view of guidance ranging from everyday best practices to legal ramifications. One particular aspect of the webinar I’ll briefly touch on here is preventative measures and actions a leader should take to stop situations before they start.

Here are 13 tips:

1. Understand the organization’s policy on harassment.
2. Understand the EEOC definition and guidelines.
3. Make sure your employees understand the organization’s stance on sexual harassment.
4. Demonstrate your willingness to discuss issues openly.
5. Be conscious of what goes on around you.
6. Let others know you will take action if a problem arises.
7. Regularly communicate to your employees to be conscientious of others’ feelings.
8. Strongly discourage inappropriate jokes and out-of-line comments when you hear them.
9. Encourage your employees to go directly to HR if they are uncomfortable discussing the issue with you.
10. Never participate in gossip.
11. Be proactive about confronting situations.
12. Teach employees to “say no” to what offends them.
13. Act immediately when a complaint is brought to you.

If you missed the webinar live, watch it on-demand anytime to gain further guidance on your responsibilities as an agent of the company in dealing with harassment claims. In addition to expanding upon the above guidance, the session also covered:

• The legal rights of your staff.
• How to foster a respectful work environment.
• The potential legal exposure your organization has if harassment occurs.