Save Your Company From Sexual Harassment Scandals

The recent outbreak of sexual harassment scandals has highlighted the risks associated with hiring employees, as well as the company’s existing hiring policies. It is no longer sufficient to rely on standard interview questions and resume screening when vetting job candidates. The risk of sexual harassment lawsuits means that companies must take further steps to protect themselves from potential liability. In response, many businesses are revising their hiring policies and practices to include more thorough vetting procedures and safeguards against liability. These changes will help protect your company against future scandals involving inappropriate behavior in the workplace. Let’s take a look at some best practices that you can implement today to reduce the risk of sexual harassment in your company.

Hiring Basics: Know the Signs of Sexual Harassment

Sexual harassment is a type of discrimination that occurs when a person is targeted for unwanted sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, or other verbal or physical conduct because of their gender. Sexual harassment can occur in many different contexts: At work, on the street, in schools, in places of worship, and in many other settings. Sexual harassment is a form of discrimination that violates Section 28A of the Sex Discrimination Act 1984 (Cth). The core principle of sexual harassment is that certain forms of unwanted or unwelcome sexual conduct is so severe or pervasive that it creates a hostile or offensive work environment or results in an adverse employment decision.

Train Internal Employees on How to Recognize and Report Harassment

In order to avoid sexual harassment lawsuits, it is critical to train your employees on how to recognize and report harassment incidents. Employees who feel safe reporting harassment will be more likely to report incidents. This will help you to identify potential problems before they escalate into lawsuits. For instance, your employees should be trained to report instances of sexual harassment such as aggressive or lewd comments, unwanted sexual advances, and sexually suggestive images or comments displayed at work. This training should be mandatory and included as part of your company’s onboarding program.

Create a Written Interview Protocol

A written interview protocol will help you to keep a consistent approach to interviewing job candidates. It will also enable you to identify potential red flags during the interview process. The best way to implement a written protocol is to conduct interviews in private offices, rather than open-plan offices or conference rooms. This will allow you to maintain discretion and ensure privacy during the interview process. When conducting interviews, it is critical to ask questions that go beyond basic resume information. You should ask candidates about their past experience and how they would approach specific challenges. You should also adopt a set of questions that are designed to reveal potential red flags and problematic past experiences.

Implement Background Checks

If the candidate is currently employed, you can use a reference check to confirm the facts in their resume and spot potential discrepancies. A background check can provide greater insight into the candidate’s past experiences, skills, and education. It can also reveal any past indiscretions or criminal convictions that are not listed on the candidate’s resume. For example, you should use a background check to confirm the candidate’s education and verify that they attended the schools they claim to have attended. You should also use a background check to look for any signs of misconduct or criminal convictions.

Create a Code of Conduct

A code of conduct is essential in reducing the risk of sexual harassment in your company. You should create and implement a detailed code of conduct that clearly outlines the types of behavior that is prohibited in the workplace. A code of conduct should include information on how to report unwanted sexual advances or misconduct, as well as instructions on how to report violations of the code of conduct. A code of conduct should clearly state that sexual harassment of any kind will not be tolerated. It should also include instructions on how to report sexual harassment, either directly or anonymously. It is critical to share the details of your code of conduct with all employees, including management and executives. You can also include it in your employee onboarding program to ensure that all employees are aware of the rules.

Conclusion

The recent surge in harassment scandals has highlighted the risks associated with hiring employees, as well as the company’s existing hiring policies. One way to reduce the risk of sexual harassment in your company is to revise your hiring policies and practices to include more thorough vetting procedures and safeguards against liability. These changes will help protect you against future scandals involving inappropriate behavior in the workplace.

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