Sexual harassment and discrimination.The workplace today has become a melting pot melting pot America as the home of many races and cultures. [Am. Pop. Culture: Misc.] See : America of diversity that enriches the business environment by bringing together individuals with different ideas, enabling companies to offer clients better products and services. But diversity also can create problems when people are not accustomed to working with others whose backgrounds differ from theirs, possibly leading to discrimination based on age, sex, race, disability, religious belief and sexual orientation sexual orientation n. The direction of one's sexual interest toward members of the same, opposite, or both sexes, especially a direction seen to be dictated by physiologic rather than sociologic forces. . As a result of numerous laws -- notably the Civil Rights Act of 1991, the Americans With Disabilities Act Americans with Disabilities Act, U.S. civil-rights law, enacted 1990, that forbids discrimination of various sorts against persons with physical or mental handicaps. and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, Pub. L. No. 90-202, 81 Stat. 602 (Dec. 15, 1967), codified as Chapter 14 of Title 29 of the United States Code, through (ADEA), prohibits employment discrimination against persons 40 years of age or older in the United States (see ). -- employers face more financial exposure than ever before. Companies -- and their directors, officers and managers -- that violate federal and state regulations prohibiting harassment and discrimination or that fail to adequately supervise their employees can be held liable for not taking steps to prevent those situations. A multimillion-dollar verdict could threaten a company's profitability or even its very existence. This checklist outlines steps companies can take to help make their offices or plants places where diversity is welcome. PRELOSS STRATEGIES YES NO N/A Train senior management in [] [] [] employment practices issues and encourage them to treat all employees with respect. Develop an educational program to help employees understand each others' cultural backgrounds, religious beliefs, sexual orientations [] [] [] and other differences. Post federal and state guidelines on [] [] [] sexual harassment sexual harassment, in law, verbal or physical behavior of a sexual nature, aimed at a particular person or group of people, especially in the workplace or in academic or other institutional settings, that is actionable, as in tort or under equal-opportunity statutes. and discrimination where all employees can read them. Follow Equal Employment [] [] [] Opportunity (EEO EEO Equal Employment Opportunity EEO Equal Employment Office EEO Eastern European Outreach (Murrieta, CA) EEO Extremely Elliptical Orbit EEO Exotic Electro-Optics, Inc. ) hiring practices and adhere to adhere to verb 1. follow, keep, maintain, respect, observe, be true, fulfil, obey, heed, keep to, abide by, be loyal, mind, be constant, be faithful 2. the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA Ada, city, United States Ada (ā`ə), city (1990 pop. 15,820), seat of Pontotoc co., S central Okla.; inc. 1904. It is a large cattle market and the center of a rich oil and ranch area. ). Develop an employee handbook [] [] [] that includes clearly outlined sexual harassment and discrimination policies and procedures Policies and Procedures are a set of documents that describe an organization's policies for operation and the procedures necessary to fulfill the policies. They are often initiated because of some external requirement, such as environmental compliance or other governmental . Maintain appropriate employment [] [] [] practices liability insurance to provide coverage for the costs associated with lawsuits resulting from harassment and discrimination. POSTLOSS STRATEGIES YES NO N/A Business owners or senior managers [] [] [] who notice harassment or discrimination against an employee should take prompt action. Management should meet with the individuals to let them know the company is aware of their actions. The company may need to report the incident to its insurance carrier and confer with legal counsel. If the situation warrants, do not let [] [] [] the accused individual return to the workplace until an charges have been resolved. Communicate promptly and honestly [] [] [] with employees about the situation and reinforce the company's stance on sexual harassment and discrimination. This will help eliminate rumors and counter any negative effect on employee morale. If the situation is reported in the media, [] [] [] appoint one individual to speak for the company. Always confer with legal counsel before responding to media inquiries. The goal is to maintain the company's reputation, without disclosing confidential information. Source: Adapted from The Rewards of Managing Risk, Chubb Group of Insurance Companies, Warren, New Jersey http://,.chubb.com, |
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