As an employer, it is your job to monitor your employees and to make sure that their rights are not violated in the workplace. If one of your employees alleges that he or she was sexually harassed, you are required to investigate the complaint in order to determine if such violation really occurred.
Handling sexual harassment complaints may be a complicated task because you have to protect the rights and privacy of both parties while trying to determine the truth behind the complainant’s claims.
Here are some tips which can help you deal with or handle such complaints:
· Conduct an investigation- After you received a complaint, you should address the problem immediately because failure to do so may expose you to liability.
· Be neutral- You should treat a complaint seriously, though it was filed by an employee who is not close to you. Do not let your personal judgment or opinion affect the investigation.
· Respect the privacy of both parties- A sexual harassment complaint can negatively affect the work environment, cause gossip, and damage the reputation of the involved parties. In order to prevent these things from happening, avoid revealing confidential details that you have gathered during the investigation to outside parties.
· Comply with company policies- If the employee handbook contains rules on how to handle or investigate sexual harassment complaints, it is advisable that you follow them. You may be accused of unfair treatment if you bend or failed to comply with these rules.
· Verify information- Do not take all the statements given by both parties as the truth. It is advisable that you verify their allegations with evidence that you have gathered during the process.
· Punish the harasser, if proven guilty- If the results of the investigation showed that the complainant is telling the truth, you should then punish the harasser for his actions. Remember, the punishment that you should give him should be equal to the gravity of his offense. Your attorney will help you determine what kind of punishment should be given to the harasser.
· Consult a San Diego sexual harassment attorney- Seeking legal help and advice from an attorney is very important because this legal expert knows all the issues involved in sexual harassment complaints and cases. Your attorney can give you legal advice on how to handle the complaint and can also help you determine if sexual harassment really occurred in the workplace.
If you want to know more tips on how to handle sexual harassment complaints, you can visit a San Diego employment lawyer from the Mesriani Law Group at 12400 Wilshire Blvd. Suite 810 Los Angeles CA 90025.
I agree with the author that addressing sexual harassment complaint promptly will prevent lawsuit. Also, conducting a grievance procedure will allow both parties to air their sides and present evidence. This scenario is ideal; however, not all companies implement an internal legal process. I hope other employers will read this article.
ReplyDeleteWhenever such type of complaints come forward it is the responsibility of the concerning organization that the evidences provided by both the parties must be carefully and separately investigated. And when the said chares came to be proved a petition must be filled against the harasser.
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That would be very helpful to Attorney Sexual Harassment too.
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