Our Guide On Establishing an Effective Anti-Harassment Policy
A safe, comfortable and productive workplace – that’s what you want to provide for your team. One of the best ways to ensure your team feels protected is to maintain effective anti-harassment policies. The start of a new year is a great time to make sure your policies are up-to-date and clearly reflect the growth of your company. You probably won’t need to make major changes but here is a quick guide to establishing even more safeguards for you and your team:
- Don’t limit your policies to sexual harassment. Create a more general anti-harassment stance. There are many forms of harassment that address areas such as race, ethnicity, and religion. Those are protected under the law and should be addressed as well.
- Don’t limit the conversation. Choosing to hold a short block of time for anti-harassment training could prove to be a bad idea in the future. Take the time to address issues as they come up, and when new team members are added as it can be a great time to do a company-wide review.
- Don’t limit the examples. Use all kinds of examples when it comes to training. The examples will help your team have a solid foundation of what is accepted and what will not be tolerated.
- Don’t limit harassment to the federal law guidelines. For example, it might not be illegal to mock someone based on their dietary goals, but if someone on your team feels ostracized or criticized, it can be considered a hostile work environment.
- Don’t limit harassment to improper touching, words, or gestures but also make sure it includes emails, texts, and social media, as they relate to the workplace.
By updating your policies to reflect the changing times, you will foster a spirit of well-being and care among your team members. When they see you spend time to create a safe environment, more than likely, they will follow suit and be gracious to each other, as well. The workplace environment is built by the leadership, and your example will carry through to your team
For more information on creating a safe workplace and retaining quality employees, read more of our blogs and reach out to us at NW Staffing. With locations in Portland, Clackamas, Beaverton, Everett, and Vancouver, our skilled recruiters are ready to help you make your workplace the best it can be! Call NW Staffing today.
