How to Spot and Address the Different Kinds of Workplace Harassment
Happy Thanksgiving! Compli’s blog team is off this week, so we’re airing a couple reruns of our most popular posts over the past 11 months—because much like A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, some things are worth experiencing again and again.
In this article, we go beyond coverage of sexual harassment to explore EEOC guidance and compliance best practices for addressing 5 kinds of workplace misconduct. Read on if you missed this article the first time, would like a refresher, or simply need something to distract you from the conversation at the Thanksgiving table.
News about harassment is everywhere these days. Why? Because harassment is everywhere. Although the problem has been recognized for decades, it seems like we’re living in a historic time for harassment awareness: a watershed moment in which millions of people are realizing how pervasive the problem is. From Silicon Valley boardrooms to Hollywood studios to Ford manufacturing plants, victims’ recent stories have made it clear that harassment can happen in every kind of workplace.
Sometimes, harassment is overt: think unwanted touching, physical intimidation, or verbal threats. Other times, it assumes subtler, but no less destructive forms: inappropriate questions during interviews, cyberstalking, exclusion, or policies and “unwritten” rules that allow those in power to dodge accountability and ignore alleged harassers’ behavior.
Whatever it looks like, wherever it occurs, harassment takes a massive toll—not only on those who experience it, but the organizations for which they work. In 2016, more than 6,700 charges of sexual harassment were filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, In that year, the EEOC obtained more than $40.7 million dollars in monetary benefits on behalf of sexually harassed employees. Keep in mind that that statistic doesn’t include the millions of dollars obtained by harassed employees through litigation. And, for the victim, there are also less visible, indirect costs incurred by harassment, including reputational harm, missed opportunities, mental health issues, and physical health problems.
If you’ve been following the news or paying attention to your social media feeds, you probably know much of this already. But sexual harassment, the kind the #TimesUp and #MeToo campaigns seek to address, is only one type of harassment. Workplace harassment based on race, disability, age, religion, national origin, gender identity, or sexual orientation can occur just as frequently, and in the eyes of the law, it’s just as serious. Don’t forget: harassment is a form of discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.
Take a look to the right to see EEOC data showing the total number of charges received in 2015 that alleged harassment from employees working for private employers or for state and local government employers.
With these staggering statistics in mind, I’d like to take this opportunity to (re)introduce you to the various kinds of harassment, so you’ll know what to look out for in your workplace. The following definitions and statistics come from the EEOC and the Select Task Force on the Study of Harassment in the Workplace June 2017 Report, the same report quoted above.
It’s Up to All of Us to Stop Harassment
Creating a safe and productive workplace that’s free from harassment requires more than just sending your employees through training and displaying the harassment policy in the breakroom. A solid harassment prevention initiative educates, reinforces, and demonstrates your company’s commitment to maintaining a safe and productive workplace.
Compli’s Harassment Prevention Solution, developed with the EEOC’s best practices, does just that. Our harassment suite includes…
- program oversight and communication tools
- policies
- training
- incident reporting and management
- audit and reporting tools
and - investigation support, guides, and consultation
To learn more and see a demo, contact us.