Everyone wants to be able to go to work and not have to worry about being harassed or feeling like he or she can’t talk to their employer because of harassment. In order to help combat that, it’s important to ensure that your company does everything it can to let all employees know they can feel comfortable at work and come to the higher-ups if need be. With that said, here are three tips to help make your workplace a safer environment.
Don’t Tolerate Harassment
Don’t tolerate harassment of any kind on any basis. It doesn’t matter what level the employee is on; everyone needs to know that there’s a zero-tolerance policy. One of the most common types of harassment is of a sexual nature. Many behaviors constitute sexual harassment beyond the obvious, and it can be hard to see exactly where this line falls. Most people think that this kind of harassment only happens if there’s unwanted touching or showing of a private area, but this actually isn’t true. Some other things that can fall under this are offensive jokes, saying unwanted sexual phrases, and writing notes or emails that are sexual in nature.
Open Up Lines of Communication
It’s extremely important to make sure you open up lines of communication. You want to make sure every employee can feel comfortable coming to you with any type of issues he or she has, even if it doesn’t technically pertain to harassment. Employees should be able to come talk to a higher-up without having to worry about any consequences or retaliation. They should also feel confident that they can do this without having to worry about what’s said once they leave the room or the information spreading around the workplace.
Conduct Fair Investigations
Finally, make sure you conduct fair investigations. Whether it’s an entry-level employee or one who’s in a high position within the company, everyone should get a fair shot and each claim should be investigated without much thought to the person’s position. Unfortunately, many cases involving higher-ranking employees are brushed under the rug, which means the harassment continues for a long time. This is the last thing you want, so it’s important to hear every side of the story and gather as much evidence as possible.
As you can see, there are small but significant steps you can take to create a safer work environment. It’s important for every employee to feel safe when he or she comes into work. By not utilizing these tips, you’re not providing the safe work environment that’s deserved. The most important thing is to do everything you can to have a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to harassment. This might include extra training for all employees, but if it helps your workplace to become safer, then it’s worth it.
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