• Skip to navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys

AAEPA, Inc

Find a Member Member's Login
Call Today (800) 846-1555
  • Membership
    • Membership Membership
    • submenu
      • Why Join?
      • Member Requirements
      • Become A Member
      • Meet the Team
  • Estate planning software
  • Education
  • Practice management
    • Practice management Practice Management
    • submenu
      • 11 Essential Systems
      • Coaching
      • Law Firm Marketing
  • Resources
    • Resources Resources
    • submenu
      • Live Training
      • Blog
  • Contact Us

Is Your Company Ready to Address Harassment Allegations?

Home » time and planning » Is Your Company Ready to Address Harassment Allegations?

With the recent headlines regarding sexual misconduct allegations against public figures like Matt Lauer and Harvey Weinstein, along with the continuing investigations of other prominent celebrities and the #MeToo campaign, discussion of sexual harassment is at an all-time high. Since more women have come forward with stories of sexual harassment in the workplace, companies are taking a more proactive approach by offering on-site courses to employees on respectful workplace behavior and harassment prevention.

Is your company prepared to address these issues? Do you have formal policies in place to ensure that employees feel safe and secure in their work environment?

Sexual harassment violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which affects companies with 15 or more employees including state and local governments, employment agencies and labor organizations. Harassment takes many forms.

According to the EEOC, harassment is unwelcome conduct that is based on race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age (40 or older), disability or genetic information. Harassment becomes unlawful where 1) enduring the offensive conduct becomes a condition of continued employment, or 2) the conduct is severe or pervasive enough to create a work environment that a reasonable person would consider intimidating, hostile or abusive. Petty slights, annoyances, and isolated incidents (unless extremely serious) will not rise to the level of illegality, (though they may nonetheless contribute to a less-than-ideal company culture). To be unlawful, the conduct must create a work environment that would be intimidating, hostile, or offensive to reasonable people.

Offensive conduct may include, but is not limited to, offensive jokes, slurs, name calling, physical assaults, threats, intimidation, insults, offensive objects or pictures, and interference with work performance.

The following are several action items that we are encouraging our clients to consider in order to prevent harassment situations in their own workplaces:

  • Review your current employee handbook to ensure that your company has a current and actionable anti-harassment policy.
  • Communicate and reinforce to managers & supervisors that any form of harassment will not be tolerated in the workplace.
  • Provide a refresher training on maintaining a respectful workplace or sexual harassment prevention.
  • Ensure all leaders are accountable for recognizing and bringing forth any allegations.
  • If a complaint does arise, do not dismiss or ignore it. All complaints should be reviewed and investigated to determine the appropriate next steps.
  • Follow your outlined company process for addressing the complaint in a timely manner.

Employees are looking to their company leadership to foster a safe and respectful workplace, thus creating a healthy company culture that does not tolerate harassment. Organizations that dismiss or ignore complaints of harassment will find themselves left behind, and potentially making negative headlines that will be hard to escape in both the short and long term.
______________________________________________________________
1 U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Laws, Regulations & Guidance, Types of Discrimination; https://www.eeoc.gov/laws/types/harassment.cfm

Tiffany Cardwell is a Principal Consultant on MCM’s HR Advisory Services team. She has more than twenty years of experience in domestic and international human resources within the banking, finance, food & beverage, healthcare, health insurance and long‐term care industries. She has expertise in acquisitions, change management, engagement, leadership coaching and development, performance management, compensation and total rewards, talent acquisition and workforce planning.

Academy Guest Blogger
American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, Inc.
9444 Balboa Avenue, Suite 300
San Diego, California 92123
Phone: (858) 453-2128
www.aaepa.com

  • Author
  • Recent Posts
American Academy
Latest posts by American Academy (see all)
  • The New Normal - April 23, 2020
  • Working with Those at the End: Tips from a Former Hospice Consultant - August 1, 2019
  • An “Apple” A Day Keeps the Focus Away - May 16, 2019
SHARE

Primary Sidebar

Subscribe to our blog

Recent Posts

  • Avoid Unnecessary Family Disputes with a Letter of Instruction
  • Understanding Undue Influence – Part I
  • The Top 3 Estate Planning Must-Haves
  • How Do I Trust Thee… Part III
  • Time for a Mid-Year Check-In?

Categories

  • Academy Girl Friday (33)
  • Client Services (239)
  • Coaching (33)
  • Consumer Advantage (3)
  • Counseling (21)
  • Elder Law (5)
  • Estate Planning (930)
  • Estate Planning Documents (5)
  • Estate Planning Education (201)
  • Financial Analysis (3)
  • Financial Services (1)
  • General (20)
  • Law Firm Marketing (282)
  • Law Firm Net Revenue (7)
  • Law Firm Staffing (99)
  • Law Firm Technology (45)
  • Law Firm Web Tips (186)
  • Leadership (191)
  • Legal Education (651)
  • Marketing Tools (2)
  • Medicaid (1)
  • Member Services (1)
  • Owners Compensation (1)
  • Peak Performer Focus (1)
  • Practice Building Calls (1)
  • Practice Management (497)
  • SEO/Social Media Support (3)
  • Software (6)
  • Strategic Planning (10)
  • Uncategorized (15)

Footer

logo of American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys

About Us

  • Meet the Team
  • Site Map
  • Legal Notice
  • Privacy Policy

Explore Our Services

  • Coaching
  • Estate planning software
  • Events
  • Legal education
  • Marketing
  • Web and SEO

Keep in Touch

Mon-Fri

9444 Balboa Ave. Suite 300

San Diego

(800) 846-1555

info@aaepa.com

Take Back Control of Your Business and Your Life

+

footer section | American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys

© 2022 American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, Inc All rights reserved.

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. Don't sell my personal information.
Cookie Settings Accept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
Save & Accept