Harassment, Bullying and Workplace Violence Prevention

Managers’ Session 2014

Today’s Objectives:

Discuss all facets of harassment/discrimination in the workplace (sexual, bullying, workplace violence)

Determine what constitutes these facets of harassment/discrimination (sexual: quid pro quo and hostile environment, cyber-bullying, issues of respect, violence prevention)

Establish your role in preventing harassment/discrimination in the workplace

Review our policies on sexual harassment and workplace violence.

.LEGISLATION

You Need to Know

.THE HIGH COST

OF

HARASSMENT

Dollars and ‘Sense’

= Monetary Benefits of

$7.1 Million

= Monetary Benefits of

$48.4 Million

Average Verdict: $300,000

= $350,000

= 84% Female

= 16% Male

1991: 6,883charges filed with EEOC

2010: 11,717 charges filed with EEOC

Average sexualharassment

defense costs:

2010: plaintiff

complaints

What Are The Negative Impacts of Sexual Harassment ? How Much Do You Know?

How Much Do You Know?

Harassment Quiz Know?

CLICK ONQUIZ

Harassment and Workplace Violence Prevention

What is ONE word to describe

Sexual Harassment

POWER

Why Victims Don’t Speak Out:

Fear of:

• Loss of Job Opportunities

• The “Rumor Mill”

• Not Being Believed

• Of Being “Wrong”

• Rejection from Co-Workers

• Retaliation

Being Accused of Not Having a Sense of Humor

Being Labeled:

• Trouble Maker

• Feminist

• Overly Sensitive

• Mentally Unstable

EEOC Definition:

Unwelcome sexual advances.

Requests for sexual favors.

Verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature connected to decisions about employment.

An intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment.

Sexual Harassment

REMEMBER. . .

.A situation must be both OFFENSIVE and SEXUAL to

be sexual harassment.

Two Kinds of Sexual Harassment:

Quid Pro Quo:

“This for That”

Hostile Work Environment

Definition:

Employment decisions or expectations based on an employee’s

willingness to grant or deny sexual favors.

Quid Pro Quo

Examples of Quid Pro Quo:

Demanding sexual favors in exchange for a promotion or a raise.

Disciplining or firing a subordinate who ends a romantic relationship.

Changing performance expectations after a subordinate refuses repeated requests for a date.

Quid Pro Quo:

• This for that.

• You do this for me and I’ll do that for

you.

Definition:

Verbal or Non Verbal behaviors that . . .

Focus on the sexuality of another person or his/her gender.

Are unwanted or unwelcome.

Severe or pervasive enough to affect the person’s work performance and/or environment.

Hostile Work Environment

Examples of Hostile Work Environment:

Offensive Conduct

Offensive Behavior

Offensive Language

Offensive Graphics

Dating & Relationships

Hostile Work Place:

• Hostile

• Intimidating

• Offensive

Important Facts about Sexual Harassment:

Generally occurs when there is a disparity of power – not just when men & women are working together.

Does not have to be intentional.

What is offensive is in the “eye of the beholder.”

Men can be sexually harassed.

Men can harass men; women can harass women.

Harassment does not have to be directed at a particular individual.

Offenders can be supervisors, co-workers or non-employees (customers, vendors or suppliers) .

Who Is Liable for

Quid Pro Quo

Harassment?

Who is Liable For

Hostile Work

Environment

Sexual Harassment?

Scenarios:

What Would You Do?

1. Female student comes to you a female professor about male professor.

2. Female staff member goes to supervisor about male staff member.

3. Male student goes to male prof. about female prof.

Definition:

Intimate, romantic, or sexual

relationships between a member of

management and an employee.

Fraternization

Examples of Fraternization:

Manager is . . .

In direct reporting relationship with employee.

In same functional pyramid as employee.

So highly placed in the organization that the employee’s direct supervisor could become compromised in managing the employee fairly.

In an audit or investigative function where integrity & impartial performance may be compromised as a result of the relationship with the employee.

.

WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE?WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE?

IS IT HARASSMENT ?

WORKPLACE BULLYING…

Definition:

Bullying may be direct, such as severe verbal abuse, or indirect, such as spreading

rumors or lies. Cyber bullying is just as serious. Internet or cyber bullying

might include sharing inappropriate pictures of

someone, posing as someone else to spread

rumors or lies, or sending harassing messages and

abusive emails (on Facebook, as well)

Bullying

Some Signs of Bullying:

Being left out from work-related social events

Coworkers storming out of the work area when you enter

Others regularly arriving late for meetings that you call

Being given the “silent treatment”

Not being given the praise you thought you deserved

Being treated rudely or disrespectfully

Others responding slowly to requests that were important to you

Being yelled or shouted at

Receiving put-downs about your intelligence or competence

Your telephone calls, contributions, or other communications are ignored

Someone interferes with or sabotages your work

Being given little or no feedback about your performance

Being a victim of pranks

Examples of Overt/Covert Bullying

OVERT

Name Calling

Bickering

Fault finding

Criticism

Intimidation

Gossip

Shouting

Blaming

Put-downs

Raised eyebrows

COVERT Unfair assignments

Refusing to help someone Ignoring

Making faces behind someone’s back

Refusing to only work with certain people – or not work with others

Whining, sabotage, exclusion, fabrication

(Bartholomew, 2011).

ImpactPHYSICAL EFFECTS

Anxiety

Exhaustion

Sleep Disturbances

Increased apathy, decreased moral

Burnout/Irritability

Affected personal relationships

Poor work quality.

PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS

Fatigue, listlessness

Headaches

Weight loss/gain

Eating disorders

Gastrointestinal problems

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (Hastile, 2002)

Definition:

Workplace violence is violence or the threat of violence against workers. It can occur at or outside the workplace and can range from threats and verbal abuse to physical assaults and homicide, one of the leading causes of job-related deaths. However it manifests itself, workplace violence is a growing concern for employers and employees nationwide.

 

Workplace Violence

RED FLAGS:Having an obsession with or excessively discussing weapons;

Compulsive reading and collecting of gun magazines;

Making direct or veiled threats;

Intimidating or instilling fear in others;

Having an obsession with one’s job;

Showing little involvement with co-workers;

 Return of terminated employees who have left because of questionable behavior;

Displaying unwanted romantic interest in a co-worker;

Exhibiting paranoid behavior;

Being unaccepting of criticism;

Holding a grudge;

Having recent family, financial, academic, social, legal, or other personal problems;

Showing interest in recently publicized violent acts;

Testing the limits of acceptable behavior;

Making extreme changes in behavior or stated beliefs; and

Retaliation by employees who feel they have been bullied.

In Your Role, Always Remember To:

Assess

Respond

Maintain

ARM Yourselves

NYMC Harassment &

Sexual Harassment

Policy StatementCLICK ONPOLICY

STATEMENT

NYMC Sexual Harassment

Awareness & Prevention Acknowledgement of

Training Form

CLICK ONACKNOWLEDGEMENT

FORM