The spotlight on
workplace sexual harassment complaints could cause the EPLI market, even the D&O market, to heat up.
Almost a fifth of
workplace sexual harassment complaints are filed by men, according to a new report.
Not exact matches
From allegations of
sexual harassment against former Fox News CEO Roger Ailes to the court case against former CBC radio host Jian Ghomeshi stemming from
complaints of abusive behaviour both inside and outside the
workplace, recent high - profile cases of
harassment and violence have made it clear that many organizations struggle to uphold appropriate standards of conduct within their ranks.
Former Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein's ouster from the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences following numerous allegations of
sexual misconduct have prompted others on social media to open up about
workplace harassment complaints that have gone unheeded.
Organizational climate is a strong predictor of
workplace sexual harassment and can include situations where men outnumber women, where supervisors are predominantly male, and where there is a sense among employees that
complaints will not be taken seriously.
I think it's patently absurd for New York's human rights commission to be focusing on The Wing when we've had, over the last six months, numerous
complaints about
workplaces being absolutely hostile to women in terms of pervasive and endemic
sexual harassment.
For employers: If your
workplace has not already taken steps to properly deal with
sexual harassment, or you are faced with a
complaint, contact us today to help you decide your next steps.
Another proposal suggests new investigation rules that employers must follow when a
workplace /
sexual harassment complaint is received.
Employers must investigate and address
sexual harassment complaints in the
workplace.
How these incidents or
complaints of
workplace harassment and
sexual harassment are investigated and dealt with are set out in the Act.
The Act aims to make
workplaces, campuses and communities safer and more responsive to the needs of survivors and to
complaints about
sexual violence and
harassment.
Currently under OHSA, employers are required to have a policy and program dealing with
workplace harassment and violence, but the Ontario Labour Relations Board has consistently held that
complaints related to
sexual harassment in the
workplace should be addressed under the Human Rights Code rather than under the OHSA.
It will require that all incidents and
complaints of
workplace sexual harassment be appropriately investigated, that a complainant be informed of the results of the investigation and any corrective action, and that the employer's
workplace harassment program be reviewed at least annually.
While Bill 132 amends a number of statutes, the focus has mainly been OHSA, which increases obligations for employers with respect to
workplace investigations related to
complaints of
harassment or
sexual harassment.
It was the first piece of legislation that actually compelled employers to perform risk assessments of potential violence in the
workplace (all violence, not just
sexual violence), institute programs and policies for
workplace violence and
harassment (all
harassment, not just
sexual), give training to employees with respect to both violence and
harassment, and — most importantly — develop specific procedures to enable both the reporting and investigation of employee
complaints of
harassment.
Therefore, it is not only those in the
workplace who are the direct victims of
sexual harassment who may have a
complaint about the conduct of a harassing supervisor.
If you are an employer, whether large or small, you should have policy in place to prevent and address employee
complaints about
sexual harassment at your
workplace.
Workplace sexual harassment and
harassment complaints cost management time.
He is frequently engaged to investigate campus and
workplace discrimination and
sexual harassment complaints.
In light of the government's new action plan and upcoming legislative amendments, employers should proactively review their current
workplace health and safety violence and
harassment policies and procedures (including
complaint, response and investigation processes), as well as training requirements and processes, to ensure a safe
workplace free of
sexual harassment for all their employees.
If employers allow
sexual harassment to flourish in their
workplace, they will pay a high price in poor employee morale, low productivity, and human rights
complaints.
Setting out explicit requirements for employers to investigate and address
workplace harassment, including
sexual harassment complaints in the
workplace
In addition, employers should train employees, supervisors and managers to teach employees about what
sexual harassment is, explain that employees have the right to a
workplace free of
sexual harassment, the policy, review their
complaint procedure, and encourage employees to use it.
The victim later held a press conference and indicated that there was more than one incident, and lashed out at her employer for not taking her written
complaints seriously and not acting on them accordingly to protect her and prevent
sexual harassment from continuing in the
workplace.
Establishing a special enforcement team of inspectors trained to address
complaints of
workplace harassment, including
sexual harassment, and enforce the Act
Expand training of employees in federally regulated
workplaces to include developing a respectful
workplace and a collegial environment; using different
harassment prevention strategies, such as bystander intervention; understanding the
workplace policy on
harassment and knowing what behaviours are not acceptable; knowing how to raise
complaints of
sexual harassment and the subsequent reporting process; the responsibilities of management and the employer; and recognizing inequalities in the
workplace, particularly related to gender.
Ms. Senft's extensive experience in the business, corporate, organizational and litigation environment includes relational and interest - based negotiation and bargaining, insurance, insurance coverage disputes, personal injury, wrongful death, Medicare and medical disclosure concerns, medical malpractice, bankruptcy, business partnerships, alliance formations, succession planning,
workplace discrimination and ADA issues, organizational visioning, congregational conflicts and business /
workplace mediation including interdepartmental issues,
sexual harassment and EEO
complaints, condominium and real estate development, construction and commercial real property management and contracting, public dialogue, regulatory disputes, public policy process, environmental policy and regulation, city planning, Board of Directors management, executive leadership teams, c - suite conflicts and disputes and systems approaches.