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Preventing Sexual Harassment

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Preventing Sexual Harassment for Supervisors Lori Pawelk Wright County Personnel Representative Pat Melvin Wright County Project Administrator – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: 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
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