More than ever, women are coming forward when they are sexually harassed so that they can get the justice that they deserve. And if you run a business, you might be concerned about how your employees will interact with one another, and you might be worried about someone sexually harassing a fellow employee. How can you prevent that from happening so that everyone can feel comfortable and confident in your workplace, and so they will not have to worry about ever feeling unsafe? Continue reading for a few tips on how to prevent sexual harassment in your business before it even becomes an issue.

Provide Sexual Harassment Training

You likely already provide training for your employees at all levels, including managers. For example, you might train them on better sales techniques, better management or marketing tactics, and how to use any new software and technology that you have decided you’ll implement into your workplace. But what about sexual harassment training? Sexual harassment training should be an important part of your employees’ training from the moment that they are hired, and you can find relevant courses via an online search tool such as findcourses.com.

With the right training, your entire staff will know that you take the issue of sexual harassment extremely seriously. They will also be taught how to prevent sexual harassment, how to be respectful towards one another, and how to voice their concerns if any ever arise. This alone can make a huge difference in making your employees feel comfortable and safe, and it can also encourage them to step forward if they are ever harassed. 

Write Up a Policy Against Sexual Harassment in Your Workplace

Another smart way to help prevent sexual harassment in your place of business is by writing up a sexual harassment policy that is clear and establishes the importance of reporting sexual harassment whenever it takes place.

This policy should be included in every employee handbook that is given out, and it should clearly define what the term sexual harassment means. Beyond that, it should also include the fact that no sexual harassment of any kind will be tolerated by your company. You should be clear about what disciplinary actions will be taken if an employee is accused of sexual harassment, and you should outline how an employee can go about filing complaints against another employee after they have been sexually harassed.

Again, with this policy in place, you will be able to let every staff member know from the moment that they are hired that sexual harassment is an issue that you take very seriously, and that it will not be tolerated at all. They will know that they are protected if they are ever sexually harassed, and they will also know that they will be terminated if they are found guilty of sexual harassment.

Have a Process for Investigating Claims of Sexual Harassment

When you are running a business and you want to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace, you need to have a process set in place for investigating any sexual harassment claims that are made. Keep in mind that not all sexual harassment accusations are honest and true, as people can be falsely accused of sexual harassment when they are actually innocent. Therefore, a proper investigation needs to take place in order to determine guilt and then take appropriate disciplinary action whenever someone makes a complaint.

Taking action is a critical step when you receive any sexual harassment complaint from an employee. You need to prove that what you wrote in your company policy about sexual harassment was valid, and you need to take immediate steps towards remedying the situation as soon as possible. Working with your HR department can help you address all concerns and complaints, as well as get to the bottom of any accusations so that you can determine the truth of those claims and bring any harassers to justice.

Communicate with Your Staff Regularly

Finally, as an employer, it is really important that you establish open communication with your entire staff, so make it a point to periodically connect with employees at all levels of your company, from the top managers to the newest entry-level workers. Discuss their work environment with them, asking them for helpful input on how their environment can be improved. This is also a great opportunity to find out if there are any issues brewing, so you will be able to take action right away before the problems escalate.

With so many sexual harassment claims being brought forth in businesses of all sizes all over the world, it is more important than ever to have a strong policy against this type of harassment in your workplace. With the strategies discussed above, you can take the first steps towards establishing that you are an employer who will not tolerate any type of sexual harassment, and you can create a work environment that is safe for everyone.