Sexual harassment may involve any unwanted physical contact. It may also include requests to show body parts or sexual favors, display shocking images, and make inappropriate comments and jokes. Business leaders must create a workplace free of sexual harassment for their employees by providing clear guidelines, proper training, and unrelenting measures. Principals should provide the same for students and staff.
Create a workplace free of sexual harassment
Write a policy against sexual harassment at workplace. Your status as an employer makes you responsible for any gender discrimination that occurs in the workplace. The Labour Code punishes all sexual harassment as well as sexist and homophobic acts [1]. The best way to protect your employees from sexual harassment and your own responsibilities is to prevent it.
Bring your HR department and store associates together to develop a firm policy against sexual harassment. Make yourself clear to your managers to prevent sexual harassment within the company. Broadly define what is sexual harassment. Condemns any unlawful sexism. Do not encourage teasing, sexual deprivation, or any verbal, visual, or physical behavior of a sexual nature in the workplace.
Eliminate any requirement to have sex as part of the terms of employment or as the basis for an employment decision. Any conduct aimed at or affecting an individual’s work performance or creating a hostile, intimidating, or harmful work environment is prohibited. Includes examples of sexual harassment, but adds that this list is not exhaustive. Review the Labour Code and cite the law to make sure you understand all forms of conduct.
Have clear protocols for dealing with harassment
Integrate measures to explicitly report sexual harassment into your policy on this type of behavior. Appoint the appropriate person to register a harassment complaint. Your employee should be able to choose several people to file a sexual harassment complaint with so that the issue does not have to be reported to the harasser or the harasser’s relative. Join course of sexual harassment training by this highlighted link,
Train employees to prevent and report sexual harassment
Give each one a copy of the rule. the policy should be included in the employee handbook, should be emailed to all employees, and should be reviewed in all annual anti-discrimination training sessions. Provide recurring training. Train supervisors and department heads to recognize, prevent and punish sexual harassment and gender discrimination. Train employees on all steps to properly report sexual harassment.
Follow government guidelines that may vary by country. Also include examples your employees may not recognize.
Employees must be aware of any form of harassment or sexual behavior, as well as any sexist or homophobic behavior that is considered discrimination and may result in dismissal. Make employees understand that if men harass other men (eg, not just women), they are responsible for their actions; women are also responsible for their actions if they harass men or women, and compliments will be given if not expressed properly under the impression of harassment.
Explain that any pressure in the workplace to force employees to accept gender standards is sexual harassment under the Labour Code. So it’s forbidden to tell a woman that she doesn’t act feminine enough, that a man doesn’t look masculine enough, or that a transgender person’s chosen gender doesn’t match his appearance or name. Also, state that your status as an employer makes you responsible for the actions of a salesperson or customer who sexually harassed your employee. Tell them they should talk to the HR manager or yourself if they are unsure.
