You’re the HR Manager and an employee comes to you and says, “I’d like to report sexual harassment.” You pull out your notepad and a pen and say, “Sit down, and tell me what happened.”
Moments like these are a dime a dozen when you’re an HR manager. Some of them are silly. (“Jane asked me out on a date!”) Some of them are easily fixed. (“John told a dirty joke during a meeting” can often be fixed by speaking to John and saying, “Don’t do that again.”) Some are horrifying. (“On a business trip, Henry raped me.”). All HR managers hope such claims are of the first two varieties–easily investigated and rather easily fixed.
But, when it’s on the horrifying side of things, several things happen. First, the company cannot legally brush it aside. They are required to investigate, in which case the accuser cannot remain completely anonymous. Second, if the company concludes that the accused is guilty of the horrible behavior, they have to make a decision as to the punishment.
To keep reading, click here: How to React When an Employee Accuses the Most Powerful Person in the Office of Sexual Harassment
Very timely advice. This is a brand new day. Not that long ago, few people would have believed that it would have been possible for Roger Ailes or Bill O’Reilly to get fired from Fox or Harvey to get fired from his own company. At the least, organizations have to — impartially — investigate, and if the harassment allegation is sustained, to take steps to promptly and effectively prevent it from happening again.
Yes. We have got to stop the idea that someone is too powerful. You sexually harass? You are a liability and if it’s serious, you are out of there.
“There is not a single person who is so valuable that they should be allowed to continue terrible behavior…” So true, yet so rarely followed.
Excellent ending statement, no one is replaceable, firing not suspension will eventually get the message across to the violators that they are not immune from retaliation.
Think you missed a step here, Suzanne. Call the police. “On a business trip, Henry raped me.” That’s a police matter if I ever heard one.
Yep, I agree – rape is, as it should be, a police matter. It IS a crime and that it police business to handle.
Unrelated to that is the fact that Weinstein had that “get out of jail” card written into his contract. I do agree that is totally mind-blowing that they agreed to that. What on earth were they thinking?