Harassment in the Office: Training is imperative

Workplace harassment in the office is a touchy issue, and one that not everyone is comfortable talking about, but it must, in fact, be discussed, whether one is in their so called "comfort zone" in such a conversation or not. If you run an office or any other working environment, there are some challenges you're going to face, because you WILL have to discuss harassment with your workers.

Defining Harassment

Harassment doesn't necessarily mean sexual harassment. A victim of harassment can be a minority employee whose coworkers accuse him or her of being the "token" minority. They could be a homosexual who is bullied or teased by their coworkers. Harassment victims are not always female, and the nature of harassment is not always sexual.

Harassment needn't even be direct. For example, harassment could include cruel practical jokes, it can even be parking in someone else's spot for the sole purpose of annoying them. The definition is, in fact, quite broad. What it boils down to, though, is this: A person or group of people is being annoyed, harassed, bullied, attacked verbally or physically, ostracized or otherwise made to feel uncomfortable for any reason.

This does not include something like, say, an individual being annoyed that lunch hour is only thirty minutes long, or offended that the company does not support or put forth an image in line with their personal religious beliefs or some such. Harassment typically has to do with a person or group of people deliberately offending or annoying another, and not company policy providing an inconvenience.

Responding to Harassment

The response to harassment should always be handled responsibly. The wrong way to handle a harasser is to exact revenge, to create and promote further conflict within the workplace. The correct way to handle this is to speak to a superior, or, should the superior be the perpetrator, to talk to a higher up.

The entire company needs to be trained in how to respond to harassment as an employee should never have to feel alone in their struggle against the offender.

The offender should never be confronted individually by the victim. Rather, the complaint should be made through the chain of command as such that the company may take the appropriate action against the offender.

This response could be anything from a warning to a suspension to outright termination to, sometimes, police response. This all depends on the severity of the offense. What it comes down to, though, is that an employee should never expect to feel fearful, singled out or otherwise unsafe or unappreciated at work. If your employees feel as if they're being harassed and that the management is doing nothing to correct the situation, you shouldn't expect them to want to remain with the company for long. Furthermore, a lawsuit is typically soon to follow poor response.

Treating Others Respectfully

Harassment can be avoided, in all forms, if only the employees learn to respect and care for one another as individuals and as teammates. Should this unity fall apart, should morale become low, harassment is a given result. All employees should learn to treat others as they would like to be treated, and to expect the same.