Dear Coach,
Do you have any recommendations on how to maintain a harassment-free workplace?
Best,
Daniel
Dear Daniel,
Yes, I do. As a former employment law attorney, I dealt with numerous cases of sexual and other harassment.
For a long time, I have felt that the prevention approach most employers use is misguided. It’s based on a legalistic deterrence, fear of consequences approach. As a result, employees tune out or feel resentful of trying to be scared straight. They don’t think there’s anything wrong with them.
In my experience, the overwhelming majority of harassers don’t think they’re harassing. Manipulating the legal formula, they assume that what they’re doing is “welcome.” That’s why the problem exists after 40+ years of harassment prevention. #MeToo is still very much a reality.
I believe the solution is culturally based vs. legalistically based. Employers who make a commitment to a culture based on civility, including trust, respect, and professionalism, are far better than legalistic-oriented employers. They also reap the additional benefits of what a culture rooted in civility does to employee engagement, retention, productivity and accountability. It’s a win-win: no harassment problems and enhanced employee contributions to organization success.
If you’d like to learn more about my view on this topic, you can read the article I wrote for SHRM here.
Best,
Jathan
Jathan Janove is a Marshall Goldsmith Stakeholder Centered Coaching Master Coach and Practice Leader. You can learn more about him here. If you have a question you’d like him to address, please email us at AsktheCoach@mgscc.net.
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