As employers, knowing which types of behavior count as types of harassment in the workplace may be one of the most important pieces of information that you have in your toolbox.
Did you know that actionable claims are not just limited to business hours or the worksite? There are quite a few misconceptions when it comes to workplace harassment and violence, which consistently need to be addressed, no matter what, to avoid favoritism or a potential lawsuit.
It is important that you educate your workforce on the following “defenses” to workplace harassment as part of any supervisor training you do. Make sure your supervisors don’t use one of these flawed rationales to defend their indefensible behavior.
The EEOC, or Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, is a government body that is responsible for enforcing federal laws that make it illegal to discriminate against job applicants based on their sex (this is all-inclusive, i.e., pregnancy, gender identity, or orientation), religion, race, color, national origin, age (40+), disability or genetic information. Even further, if a job applicant has voiced their concern about discrimination regarding the areas listed above, it is illegal to discriminate against this person based on their belief and accusations against you or your company.
(Review NAE’s Sexual Harassment Policy Checklist.)
Failing to train and educate managers and supervisors is one of the biggest mistakes any business can make and one that creates one of the biggest risk areas for any business. Training your managers is the easiest way to avoid this risk.
Things to keep in mind:
- Failure to document workplace incidents
- Not paying overtime
- Misguided paternalism
- Playing favorites
- Compliance miscalculations
- Failing to accommodate
- Ignoring bullying
All of the above can be considered as mistreatment, workplace harassment, and could land you and your company in a mess of trouble.
The Nevada Association of Employers (NAE) offers several training programs for managers and supervisors covering the essentials of being a supervisor, including how to avoid many of the risks noted above. You do not have to be a member of NAE to take advantage of these training programs, but there are many advantages to being a member of NAE.
For more information about NAE and what we do for Nevada employers, visit our website. If you are a Nevada employer interested in membership, please contact membership@nevadaemployers.org or join today!
