Preventing Sexual Harassment

1
Preventing Sexual Harassmentfor Supervisors

• Lori Pawelk
• Wright County Personnel Representative
• Pat Melvin
• Wright County Project Administrator

2
Training Objectives

• Define sexual harassment
• Teach supervisors to recognize workplace sexual
  harassment
• Suggest ways that supervisors might stop sexual
  harassment
• Review the Countys sexual harassment reporting
  procedures with an overview of the investigative
  process

3
Harassment is

• When an individual is subjected to unwelcome
• 1) physical or
• 2) verbal conduct or 3) visual material
• relating to, or directed at, that individuals
  protected class.

• Protect classes include
• Race
• Age
• Gender
• Marital Status
• Ethnic
• Creed
• Disability
• Sexual Orientation
• Etc.

4
Sexual Harassment is

• Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual
  favors and other verbal and physical conduct of a
  sexual nature when
• submission to or rejection of such conduct is
  made a term or condition of an individuals
  employment and impacts employment decisions (Quid
  Pro Quo)
• such conduct interferes with a persons work
  performance or creates an intimidating, hostile
  or offensive work environment (Hostile Work
  Environment)

5
Sexual Harassment behavior is

• Unwanted attention or behavior and
• Associated with a persons sex and
• Emphasizes an employees sexuality over the
  employees work role

6
Why does harassment occur?

• Demonstration of power and control
• Personal relationships that go sour
• Gender roles
• Varying personalities
• Organizational culture
• Lack of thought

7
Recognizing Sexual Harassment

• The victim as well as harasser may be male or
  female. The victim does not have to be of the
  opposite sex.
• A supervisor may be harassing an employee as well
  as an employee harassing a supervisor
• The victim does not have to be the person
  harassed but could be a co-worker impacted by the
  harassment
• Unlawful sexual harassment does occur without
  economic loss, i.e. wage and job loss
• 85-95 of those harassed are women

8
Making a sexual harassment determination

• Focus on the effect, not the intent
• Doesnt matter if it is deliberate or unconscious
  behavior
• Base it on the recipients perception
• Document occurrences of harassment
• Has the harasser been previously warned

9
Attempts to stop the harassment

• Use I messages
• Speak of the behavior rather than labeling the
  person
• State how you felt when subjected to the behavior
• Ask the harasser not to repeat the behavior
• Inform the harasser what you will do if the
  behavior continues to occur

10
Who should report sexual harassment?

• The employee being harassed
• Co-workers that observe or hear of harassment
• During investigation names will be kept
  confidential if possible
• Supervisors and Department Heads
• Responsible for knowing what is happening within
  the department

11
Why dont employees report harassment?

• Employees afraid of not being believed
• Reporting can make the situation worse -
  retaliation
• Employees feel humiliated by what occurred
• Employees not sure how or to whom to report
  harassment

12
To avoid accidental harassment

• Think how others might perceive your actions and
  words
• Know and understand why old standards of behavior
  might be offensive today
• Ask yourself would you say or do this if your
  spouse or children were present?
• If confronted by a person about perceived
  harassment, consider yourself lucky and assure
  them that it will not happen again
• Realize that nothing at work is private

13
Effects of on-going sexual harassment

• Humiliation
• Offense
• Poor job performance
• Emotional distress
• Physical symptoms
• Poor work attitude
• Loss of team cohesion and effectiveness
• Unpleasant working environment

14
Wright County Reporting

• If an individual continues with sexual harassment
  after being warned
• Report it verbally and provide any documents to
• Your supervisor or
• Your department head or
• The Administration Department
• You will be asked to complete a Harassment,
  Offensive and Violent Behavior Report Form
• This may initiate an investigation
• You may not be informed of the outcome, however
  the sexual harassment behavior will stop
• All Reports are forwarded to Admin. within 2 days

15
A Sexual Harassment Investigation

• Will be conducted by two Administration staff
• Will involve interviewing people to establish
  facts
• Will keep the identity of those involved
  confidential whenever possible
• May result in discipline, including discharge
  pending the severity of the violation
• Prohibits retaliation from a supervisor or dept.
  head for your role in an investigation
• May result in discipline, including discharge,
  for filing a false report with intent to defame

16
The Importance of a Supervisor

• Serves as the Countys first line of defense
• Assists the County in avoiding fines and lawsuits
• Avoids damage to department morale and reputation
• Observes and listens to the ways employees
  interact
• Understands the Countys reporting procedure
• Sets the tone within the workplace
• Deal with inappropriate behavior immediately

17
Questions

• Contact
• Lori Pawelk Ext 7380
• Pat Melvin Ext 7362