Fourth in a series on how #MeToo is affecting business
Your company – likely human resources – has received a complaint of sexual harassment or sexual abuse. Now what?
First, don’t panic! It’s important to stay calm and professional. You must drop whatever else you are doing and act immediately. This cannot wait until you “have time.”
Step 1: Listen to the employee with an open mind, take notes and maintain neutral body language. Show empathy, but do not offer an opinion. Without revealing any more information than is absolutely necessary, notify the appropriate internal leaders that you are dealing with an issue requiring team members to spend time away from the department and obtain the leaders’ cooperation.
Step 2: Call in an outside investigator who can be objective.The investigator, a consultant who has experience and expertise in this area of human resources, often will be referred by your legal counsel.
“The main benefit of a third-party investigator is to have a neutral party who doesn’t have prior knowledge of the employees,” says Anne-Lise Gere, SPHR, an independent HR consultant and owner of Gere Consulting Associates. “It brings a level of comfort to all that their conversation will be heard without preconceived notions.”
Gere explains the investigator will interview the person bringing the complaint, the person being charged and any witnesses, emphasizing the need for confidentiality. After talking with everyone involved, she will write a report with her findings and recommendations – often working with counsel – and submit it to the company.
It’s important to be open-minded about the results of the investigation. Even long-term, deeply entrenched employees can be guilty of offenses, so don’t dismiss the findings because you don’t want to believe someone you know, like and trust could be guilty of bad behavior. This is not the time to turn a blind eye!
Step 3: After the investigation, take action. Depending on the seriousness of the offense and the recommendations, actions could include termination, transfer, demotion, a write-up or further claims to investigate. It’s also possible that no action will be recommended because the claim was determined to be unfounded.
Step 4: After you’ve dealt with the specific complaint, step back and look at your workplace using a broader lens.Regardless of whether the complaint was determined to be founded or unfounded, it’s important to understand what’s happening in your workplace culture that could have caused someone to come forward.
This is the time when companies may consider calling a culture consultant to perform an culture inquiry to determine where the “leaks” or pain points are. A culture inquiry could reveal that your company environment is toxic, resulting in high turnover, difficult recruitment, low engagement and stagnant performance, all of which are affecting profitability. If your company culture has enabled harassment and bullying, a company inquiry will reveal that.
Step 5: Implement the consultant’s suggestions. These issues do not simply clear up on their own. They are systemic and must be approached consciously and worked on consistently by the entire team.
Some of the typical recommendations that flow from a culture inquiry include:
- Re-aligning your organization around strong company mission, vision, values and culture statements. If you don’t already have those – especially a culture statement – you will be encouraged to create and livethem.
- Conducting respect training that addresses harassment, bullying, diversity, inclusion and civility. These issues are interwoven and should be addressed together. It’s important to note that training alone does not work, just as a three-day diet does not work! If people are not held accountable and constantly reminded, behavior will revert to the previous standard. Steps to prevent that include . . .
- Setting team goals and milestones, pivoting to ensure change is happening and celebrating success. Call out those who are not living up to expectations.
- Creating special surveys to measure various elements of your culture or asking different questions on your annual employee satisfaction survey.
- Holding one-on-one “stay” interviews of employees at key milestones to determine what is going well or wrong in your culture, as well as third-party exit interviews so that employees will give candid answers.
Changing culture in a workplace is not a “one-and-done” event. The behaviors, attitudes and values of employees develop over a lifetime of influence by family, friends, church, media, society at large – and, yes, the workplace. Issuing a new policy or requiring a one-time training session just won’t change years of conditioning.
It will take an ongoing effort to reinforce your message that bullying and harassment will not be tolerated at your company and that every individual must be treated with the respect they deserve. Every person must be held accountable from the CEO to the entry-level employee so that your company provides a positive and productive environment where everyone can flourish.
Part I: Companies react to #MeToo. But is it enough?
Part II: Employees Don’t See Companies Doing Much About #MeToo
Part III: Men And Women Play Defense In The Workplace After #MeToo
Latest posts by Shelley Smith (see all)
- Part IV: How To Respond To A #MeToo Workplace Problem: The Steps You Need To Follow - October 21, 2018
- Part III: Men And Women Play Defense In The Workplace After #MeToo - October 14, 2018
- Part II: Employees Don’t See Companies Doing Much About #MeToo - October 7, 2018
