Sexual harassment in the workplace.

5 ways to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace by Moses Ihenacho

I will like to start by distinguishing the different kinds of sexual misconducts. But before then let me say there are 3 forms of sexual harassment, the first one is verbal sexual harassment, and this could be when you’re telling sexual jokes, it could be when you’re
commenting on a person’s appearance or even when you’re
speaking in a sexual tone.
There’s also non-verbal sexual harassment, this one involves exposing your body, blowing kisses, winking,
staring, following, stalking, in fact, stalking is a serious crime with serious consequences.
The third form of sexual harassment is physical sexual contact. This is any form of unwanted touching, Patting, grabbing, rubbing, pinching, Hugging or kissing. Let me also state that sexual harassment is not sexual assault. Sexual assault is much more specific. Sexual assault occurs when one adult subjects another adult to unwanted or unwelcomed sexual acts. For instance, rape is a sexual assault. Sexual assault is also different from sexual abuse, sexual abuse occurs when an adult subjects a vulnerable person to an unwanted sexual act. I’m talking people who cannot give their informed consent to engage in the act, you know, like children, the elderly, and people who are mentally incapacitated.

That being said, let’s jump to 5 ways to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace.

1. Adopt a clear sexual harassment policy.
You see, clear company policies are very vital to get people informed. These policies set forth what is acceptable and what is not acceptable behavior across all levels of your organization. Now because sexual harassment can include subtle actions as well as overt behaviors, it’s important to outline and educate team members about the range of inappropriate comments and actions. And then you make sure you emphasize on the consequences of such act.

2. The second way you can prevent sexual harassment in the workplace is to Ensure easy access to communication channels.
Employees may be facing sexual harassment from their direct supervisor, which would make it difficult for them to report inappropriate behavior if they do not have access to different communication channels. Talk about E-mails, online messaging platforms, employee apps just to name a few.
Ideally, you should have more than one option for them to reach out and always make sure employees can directly communicate with your human resources department.

3. Train managers on their responsibility to prevent sexual harassment. You have to understand that preventing sexual harassment in the workplace is not an event, it’s a process. It doesn’t just happen so make sure you have ongoing efforts in place to provide employees with the information they need to ensure their behavior is above-board and skills to intervene or report problems and issues they observe.

4. Number 4 way to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace is to Watch for retaliatory red flags.
It’s pretty clear that the way most companies handle preventing sexual harassment issues is not just working. Victims feel they can’t report incidents for fear of retaliation, the HR feels obligated to protect the company, and so the problem persists, yet business executives claim they have zero tolerance for sexual harassment but make big exceptions for “high value” staff. And the story plays over and over again. If your organization is in this rut, it’s time for a culture shift. Have an open dialogue and a true open door policy.

5. Handle complaints and investigations in a fair and respectful manner.
Sexual harassment at the job is common but it is rarely reported. I must say that It doesn’t “help” the company when HR makes it difficult for people to come forward to complain, or when you bury complaints, it is also not helpful to ignore retaliation, or you allow bad behavior of “high value” employees because you don’t want to lose them. That is not right. You also want to know about incidents early enough so you can resolve them swiftly. The HR should listen, they should understand the situation from each person’s perspective, even say “I’m sorry you had this experience.” If the HR is efficient, unbiased and handles investigations with quick and fair resolutions then employees will definitely see the HR as a key partner to run to in the event of inappropriate behavior. So build that trust with your employees. Through your words and actions, let them know that they can come to you for help regardless of who they are or how minor the incident is. Take quick action and always take every single complaint seriously.
As I draw the curtain, I want to say that preventing sexual harassment requires an ongoing commitment, persistence, and a willingness to pursue change at many different levels, let’s collectively make it work.


My parting message to the world is a quote by Gretchen Carlson, an American broadcast journalist, author, and television personality and she says “we need to stand together with all of the victims of sexual harassment and make sure they are not silenced.” —
I’m Moses Ihenacho…
Watch Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAOe5tCT1nc

I am still tryna figure out the difference between sexual abuse and Sexual harassment...