Corporate E-Learning

Workplace harassment is illegal and destructive to any organization. It is important to treat everyone in the workplace with respect and dignity. Workplace harassment must be identified, discouraged, and prevented in order to keep a hostile work environment from developing. Left unchecked, harassment can escalate into violence. Workplace harassment training is essential to the welfare of all businesses and their employees. Allowing workplace harassment to continue will cause legal problems while destroying company morale. Many people are uncertain about what constitutes harassment, and they are confused when their actions are pointed out as demeaning. Legally, harassment is any word, gesture, or action that offends people or makes them feel uncomfortable or intimidated. You never know how sensitive people are, so never say or do anything if you are not sure how it will be received.

Allowing workplace harassment to continue will cause legal problems while destroying company morale. Many people are uncertain about what constitutes harassment, and they are confused when their actions are pointed out as demeaning. Legally, harassment is any word, gesture, or action that offends people or makes them feel uncomfortable or intimidated. You never know how sensitive people are, so never say or do anything if you are not sure how it will be received.

Bullying is not limited to the playground, and ignoring bullies will not make them leave you alone. Bullies are a growing problem in the workplace. Those who bully others do so with malicious intent. Unlike other harassment issues, bullies know that they are being cruel. Only 20 percent of bullying is considered illegal harassment because 80 percent of bullies do not harass people in other groups. In fact, 71 percent of bullies are women who target other women.

Violence accounts for roughly one quarter of work related deaths in the United States. In order to prevent workplace violence, it is essential that managers and employees are able to identify individuals who could become violent and understand how to diffuse dangerous situations. Violent behavior does not appear out of nowhere. There are different behaviors that indicate possible violence over time.

Risk assessments are important to improving the safety of an organization. Risk assessments identify hazards and potential for injury. Companies need to conduct risk assessments for different dangers. This module focuses on the risk of harassment and workplace violence.

There are risks with every job, but employers have an obligation to identify potential safety hazards and address them. Hazards are unique to each profession, but there are common hazards that are directly related to violence at work. Risk assessments and evaluations should be done periodically to ensure the safety of everyone in the workplace.

According to a recent survey, over one-third of Americans have been bullied at work. Bullying affects people on every level. It can lead to depression, illness, and poor work performance. Hopefully, you will never be the victim of bullying. Should you ever find yourself the target of a bully, however, you need to know what steps to take to protect yourself.

Employers need to take every measure to prevent harassment, bullying, and violence in the workplace. The company culture should be monitored carefully, and changes should be made when risks are discovered. Employers can change company culture by creating a relevant Code of Ethics and implementing new policies and procedures.

The interview process is designed to help employers find the best employees for open positions. Employers need to always apply the interview process carefully, and never hire an employee out of desperation. Identifying potential bullies in an interview will save you the trouble of dealing with their problems later.

Employers have an obligation to investigate any claims of harassment. Maintaining a safe work environment means taking every claim of harassment seriously. Create guidelines that explain what type of behavior is not tolerated and how employees should lodge complaints. Do not ignore complaints. Whether the complaint is formal or informal, investigate the incident carefully.

We have already established that every business needs a workplace harassment policy. Earlier modules addressed specific aspects of harassment policies. Now it is time to put together all of the lessons and identify everything that belongs in a workplace harassment policy.

Although this workshop is coming to a close, we hope that your journey to improve your skill preventing workplace harassment is just beginning. Please take a moment to review and update your action plan. This will be a key tool to guide your progress in the days, weeks, months, and years to come. We wish you the best of luck on the rest of your travels!