Sexual Harassment in the Workplace

One of the necessary evils of being an employer and having employees is dealing with sexual harassment. I know plenty of employers who believe it would never happen in their workplace and/or there was no need to worry about such things, only to be proven wrong in very big, messy ways.

Clearly written sexual harassment policies and procedures help. The policy not only lets the employee know what is not acceptable behavior but it lets the employee know what the consequences are for participating in that unacceptable behavior. Procedures are great because they concisely (hopefully) tell employees what the steps are for addressing the offending behavior. It gives the help (and hope). However, sexual harassment policies and procedures are not enough.

In today’s world, a sexual harassment case can easily escalate into a lawsuit and employers – whether they want to or not – must prepare themselves for such a possibility. And while a sexual harassment policy and procedure will help in the due diligence arena, the courts have repeatedly stated employers need to take it a step further and implement sexual harassment training.

Sexual harassment training allows the employer to take the information they have in the policy and procedures and make sure employees and supervisors/managers understand and implement what is in writing. It provides a layer of protection for the employer, employee, and workplace that would otherwise create vulnerabilities.

So, if you do not have a written sexual harassment policy and procedures – get busy. It doesn’t matter how small of an employer you are, you still risk it all if you don’t have the proper policy and procedure in place. And if you really want to put the cherry on top, begin the process of training employees and supervisors/managers on those policies and procedures. Otherwise, your vulnerabilities still exist.

10 Best Companies to Work For...

Do you consider your company one of the 10 Best Companies to Work For?  Fortune Magazine recently released their list of top companies to work at and decided to feature 10 employees from 10 companies.  So what sets these companies as "top" companies to work at?  According to Fortune magazine, "Interesting assignments, big scholarships, stints abroad..."

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Social Media & The Employer Test | Bellingham HR Consultant

Increasingly employers are using social media venues to screen their employees and potential hires.  They use it as a means to not only verify information the employee/hiring candidate shared, but also to ensure they aren't been misrepresented on the internet.  Some of the key things employees and potential employees should keep in mind when posting to social media venues is:

• What are your privacy settings? Can anyone see what you've posted?  If you have your privacy settings on "High," it limits the potential for an employer to have a peek at what you've posted.  But, it typically doesn't limit those who are on your friends list.  So review your settings, and make sure you are comfortable with who sees what.
• Who do you "friend?" Is it only personal friends and family? Co-workers? Your boss?  As mentioned earlier, even if your privacy settings limit outsiders from having a peek, it doesn't limit insiders.  Those you are friends with can easily access your information.  So, if your co-workers and boss are on your lists it means they can access your information.  It also means your employer has another way of accessing you.
• What photographs have you posted?  Do you really think a potential employer is going to still over you that job when you've got photos of you attached to a beer bong posted all over Facebook? Think again.  Filter! Filter! Filter!  While some photos might be funny to friends and family, it could cause your employer and/or a potential employer to think twice.
• Status updates... I've seen employees who have called in sick at work, post status updates to their social media accounts that definitely did not support their "I have the flu" excuse for not reporting to the job. 

While the internet and social media have opened up a lot of opportunities for people - making this world of ours a lot smaller and people more accessible - it has also created a fishbowl effect.  What was once considered private is no longer off-limits - even for your employer.  So be cautious and pay attention.