My last article about harassment in the workplace was an introduction to the topic geared specifically towards leaders of organizations. But harassment is a problem that everyone needs to deal with in workplaces across the nation, no matter what level or position they’re in. Continue reading
Make no mistake, harassment does rear its ugly head quite often, year in and year out in workplaces everywhere. The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is the federal agency tasked with fielding complaints, brokering settlements, and engaging in litigation related to charges of discrimination, which includes harassment. Continue reading
Last week, news broke that the dean of UC Berkeley’s law school has been accused of sexual harassment. Apparently, Dean Sujit Choudhry had sexually harassed his administrative assistant on the job for a nearly six-month period from September 2014 to March 2015. While Choudhry, who is still a member of Berkeley’s law faculty, denies the allegations, he has resigned as dean. In fact, he has also been given a 10% reduction in salary for one year, ordered to write an apology to the assistant he allegedly harassed and forced to complete a sexual harassment training course – notably, this is a mandatory training course that he had previously failed to complete. In addition, the university announced that Chouhdry’s behavior at work would continue to be carefully monitored to ensure no future incidents.
Sexual harassment in the workplace isn’t just a social issue—it’s economic as well.
In 2013 then-mayor of San Diego, Bob Filner found himself at the end of a sexual harassment scandal. The mayor was sued by one woman for harassment and was also accused of numerous cases of improper conduct from dozens of other women. The city of San Diego refused by pay Filner’s legal bills resulting from his defense in the case, whereas the former mayor had previously requested that the city pay his bills, saying he never received proper training mandated under California law. If the city had been required to pay those bills, it would have amounted to a $3 million hit for taxpayers. See how you can prevent sexual harassment in your organization. Continue reading
Sexual harassment in the workplace is a much more widespread problem than most employers, and even employees might realize. Sure, there have been strides made in preventing these type of issues in the workplace, but many American workers say it’s not enough. Continue reading
Federal law doesn’t require sexual harassment training, but many state laws do require some harassment training. Even if it isn’t required, it’s imperative you train your employees on these topics. Continue reading