Sexual Harrassment

wiremanufacturer

I have a problem looming in the midst. We are a small company and have always joked around with each other. Sometimes the joking goes a little far and we just back away from it. Sometimes we might mouth back. Keep in mind that this joking is from about everyone in the company. Most of the time it is kept generic....herein lies the problem. My main owner (who is 65)thinks that he can get away with telling us girls that if a customer is coming by that we should wear short skirts or that he can ask us about our sex life with our husbands etc. This is on a personal level, not a generic term of "well your gender does this" or "because you're old". The problem is that one of my lady's in the office is taking offense at this. What can be her legal recourse? I don't think that she would sue but I want to know what we can do to prevent this. My research has shown that the harrassment is purely judgemental. I can have two people say the exact same thing and it be fine from one and harrassment from the other. I know that I should get my office to clean up but I also know that you can't teach and old dog new tricks. (Most of my office is the older generation.) I don't mean that offensive but that is what I have been told by my co-workers. I'm thinking that I need to have a conversation with this one boss in particular that he is offending people and that the entire office needs to be told to clean it up.
I'm new at this so I guess I'm just wanting some reassurance.
Thanks.

Margaret Morford

I would certainly have a conversation with the boss about it. She has made a sexually harassment complaint and you need to address it as well as document what you did about it.

Then you should think about doing some "legal issues" management training with sexual harassment being one of the topics. Your employment attorney may do this. I can recommend an employment attorney to do it for you if you will tell me what state you're in or my company teaches a class like this. Regardless, you really are sitting on a time bomb that you need to address. I worked in rural southern manufacturing and know the type of enviroment that you describe, but you need to begin changing this before someone does sue. Then it will be too late.

Call me if you want to discuss this further.

Margaret Morford
theHRedge
615-371-8200
[email]mmorford@mleesmith.com[/email]
[url]http://www.thehredge.net[/url]

Theresa Gegen TX

I agree with Margaret. This type of thing can really lead to some big liability. Especially considering the person making these sexist (and in my opinion degrading) comments is an owner. You can bet that there are some other employees who laugh around with the boss, but really feel uncomfortable about these comments (and are afraid to speak up).

Legally the employee could file a charge of discrimination, then sue for harassment.

What's wrong with running the business professionally and treating everyone with respect?

Good Luck!!

Theresa Gegen TX

>I agree with Margaret. This type of thing can really lead to some big
>liability. Especially considering the person making these sexist (and
>in my opinion degrading) comments is an owner. You can bet that there
>are some other employees who laugh around with the boss, but really
>feel uncomfortable about these comments (and are afraid to speak up).
>
>Legally the employee could file a charge of discrimination, then sue
>for harassment.
>
>What's wrong with running the business professionally and treating
>everyone with respect?
>
>Good Luck!!


PS: As you note, some people will resist changing, but they can be taught, regardless of their ages, to behave professionally!!

San Francisco

I disagree that you can't teach an old dog new tricks and I hope that you will contact Margaret for help. We have had your problems some 18 years ago multiplied by 400 individual stores. An attorney once told me that retail has the highest rate of sexual harassment claims. I think it is because it is similar to your business wherein people work closely together and often socialize after work as well. Anyway, through extensive training over the years, we have educated our managers and employees and they will call HR at a breathe of sexual harassment occurring in his/her store. I totally agree with Theresa's statements, those comments are extremely offensive to me. But, you truly can turn this around through proper training.

Good luck, you can do it.

Elizabeth

HR in VA

For goodness sakes, do your part and stop refering to yourself and co-workers as "us girls"!

Terri B

Good job, HR in VA. Lead by example!!!

Terri

Rockie

You are right away offices that can be too "lax" and laid back. We have five offices in our practice. One, in particular, is in a small town and everyone kmows everyone, goes to church together, etc. All of these folks have worked together forever and are a family of sorts.

Well, a young lady came to work in the practice and she brought a birthday cake for one of the nurses she thought was hilariously funny. It happened to have a candle on it in the shape of part of the male anatomy. Everyone, including the doctor in the office, got a kick out of it except for one employee we shall call "church lady" that worked at the front desk. She, of course, complained to them, to me, to anyone that would listen. I certainly did take it seriously and counseled the young lady and the entire office on professionalism and inappropriate behavior in the workplace. Of course, they felt they were only having fun and "church lady" was a prude and over-reacted. It took church lady a long time to win her coworkers back over and they still have a certain mistrust for her.

Although the above is an example of going "way" too far, there is often a fine line between being friendly and cutting up in the office and overstepping bounds and offending someone. I've found in today's litigious world, it's best if we keep things as professional and above board as possible and take employee's concerns and complaints seriously.