Harassment in the workplace is far more common than you may think. Therefore, it is in the best interest of your employees and your business as a whole to provide comprehensive harassment law training. Employees must be aware that harassment is not only unacceptable but also includes much more than sexual harassment. In addition to covering sexual harassment laws, your training program should discuss behaviors such as bullying, discrimination and verbal harassment.

As a business owner, you are not only responsible for training employees on laws about harassment but also for maintaining your employees' attention. Although many people may not be particularly fond of corporate training, you can help make your company's training successful by keeping it up to date and engaging. In order to do this, make sure your training program fits all of your employees' learning styles:

1. Visual learners: employees who learn through seeing;

2. Tactile learners: employees who learn through doing;

3. And auditory learners: employees who learn through hearing.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Show employees a video on harassment laws and distribute brochures afterward

One of the easiest ways to keep your employees engaged during your company's harassment training is to show a short video. But once the video has ended, will your employees remember what they learned? Make sure they do by providing handouts to them once the training program is complete. As an added benefit, these techniques are beneficial for both auditory and visual learners.

I recommend: It is important to select a video that covers all forms of workplace harassment. Media Partners offers a free seven-day trial of its comprehensive harassment video. Following training, make other materials available to your employees. Quality Media Resources offers free handouts that you can print out and distribute or simply use for reference.

Design role-play simulations that highlight laws on harassment

Role playing is a very effective way to address your company's harassment training. It encourages thinking and allows employees to face real-life scenarios.

I recommend: Check out Black Water USA for tips on successful role playing. Explore online courses using role-play simulations from Syntrio's HarassmentLawTraining.

Invite a speaker to discuss federal harassment laws

Make sure your employees know the effects that harassment has on those around them. A great way to do this is to search for harassment lawyers in your area and invite one to speak at your business.

I recommend: HR Learning Center provides onsite training by an experienced harassment attorney. Before asking a harassment lawyer to speak at your business, make sure you are aware of your state's harassment training requirements. Visit Brightline Compliance for free information on your state.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Once your employees have completed harassment law training, make sure you have them acknowledge it. The easiest way to do this is to have each employee sign a form stating he or she has received training and agrees to the terms stated in that training.

You as a victim are protected by harassment laws, and you may require a harassment lawyer if you fall into one of the following categories: bullying, psychological harassment, racial harassment, religious harassment, sexual harassment, stalking, mobbing, hazing, backlash, or police harassment.

Harassment laws like the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and its subsequent laws on harassment are what protect you. You can find help online to protect your rights, or as an employer, you can find resources on the web as well to keep your company out of harm's way.

If you feel that you are a victim of harassment:

1. Object to the behavior

2. Keep a record that includes the behavior as well as the dates

3. Consider retaining a harassment lawyer

4. Report the behavior

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Learn about harrassment laws

Online books stores such as Barnes & Noble and Amazon are a great place to start defining if what is happening to you is harassment. There are other book sources out there for you, though, too.

I recommend: Barnes & Noble and Amazon both offer a large selection on Harassment law, but check out Target's "The Law of Harassment and Stalking" by Paul Infield and Graham Platford. Shop.com also carries selections such as "The Workplace Law Advisor" by Anne Covey. Lawyer Weekly Books also has a nice selection of books covering the topic of harassment as well.

Find a harassment lawyer to interpret the laws for you

You can find many harassment attorneys in your town as well as online to assist you in filing claims and determining the best course of action to take in your situation.

I recommend: Check out Lawyer.com for a listing of civil rights attorneys in your area. You can also find harassment lawyers at firms such as Cohen, Milstein, Hausfeld & Toll, P.L.L.C., a harassment law firm that specializes in civil rights, employment issues, and more.

Consider prevention before there is a need for harassment lawyers

Employers need to stay abreast of laws on harassment, and prevention is key. Consider the help of a specialist or firm to help clean house on bad behavior at your company.

I recommend: Look into the services of McClure Associates. They specialize in helping you deal with managing high-risk employee behavior. Consider a SkillPath seminar like "Dealing Effectively With Unacceptable Employee Behavior." Another option is a company like Employment Practices that offers training on sexual harassment, diversity, anger management, conflict resolution, and discrimination.

Profit from a non-profit organization on workplace harassment laws

Non-profit organizations help you understand what your rights are as a victim, or help you as an employer educate yourself on what your responsibilities to your employees.

I recommend: Check out the work of the Center for the Prevention of Hate Violence. They are a non-profit that trains a number of institutions on how to prevent violence, bias, and harassment.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Check out a number of books at library on workplace harassment laws and federal harassment laws, and then only commit to buying those that you have previewed and feel that the purchase would be worth it. Often times we forget that the library is an available resource, and whittling down your book selection before you head to the store is great cost savings measure. It's terrible when you have shelled out over $30 for a book, only to come home, read it, and find out that it's content was not exactly what you wanted or that it didn't cover your topic as thoroughly as you would have liked.

As a business owner, it is your responsibility to ensure that your employees know and follow the laws on harassment in the workplace. In order to maintain a comfortable and productive working environment, your employees must follow all of the workplace harassment laws.

When most people think of harassment in the workplace, sexual harassment is probably what comes to mind. However, harassment law protects employees from all areas of harassment, including racial, verbal and sexual harassment. To prevent all types of harassment, employees should be trained on federal harassment laws. It's also important to educate employees on the true definition of harassment and what types of acts meet those standards, including:

1. Leering or staring;

2. Making negative comments about a person's gender, skin color, ethnic background, sexual orientation, handicap or religious beliefs;

3. And telling inappropriate jokes or sending inappropriate emails.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Train employees on harassment laws

To ensure all of your employees know what constitutes harassment in the workplace, make sure you offer up-to-date training.

I recommend: FairMeasures.com provides certified training on harassment in the workplace. Using input from renowned harassment attorneys, the program explains the legal definition of harassment as well as some common causes for such behavior. In addition, the program also provides strategies that will help prevent future cases of harassment in the workplace. It is also a good idea to do independent research and find tips that may help your specific business. Nolo.com offers free information that can help you learn how to maintain a comfortable working environment that is free of harassment.

Post information for reporting harassment

To keep your business free of harassment, your employees should know how to report harassing behaviors and feel comfortable doing so.

I recommend: One of the most common reasons employees fail to report workplace harassment is simply because they are unable to find the information and their company does not encourage them to do so. Read a shocking article on the subject at Management-Issues.com. In addition to posting the proper way to report harassment, make sure your management staff sends clear messages that harassment in the workplace is unacceptable. Check out HR Specialist to learn the mistakes that are most commonly made by employers and their managers.

Consult with a harassment lawyer

Harassment lawyers have a wealth of information regarding harassment law. Due to the amount of cases they've handled, business owners can benefit from their knowledge.

I recommend: Find a harassment attorney in your area. MyEmploymentLawyer.com offers online listings of workplace harassment lawyers located across the United States. Before meeting with the attorney, make sure you understand the laws about harassment. The American Bar Association offers free articles for employers with tips for preventing both verbal and sexual harassment in the workplace.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Do research on your state's harassment laws. Because each state has different requirements regarding harassment training, it's important to make sure your training covers all of the essential materials.

Harassment in the workplace is unlawful. The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 all provide legal protections against harassment in the workplace. From a legal standpoint, harassment is any unwelcome conduct that is directly or indirectly related to race, gender, color, national origin, marital status, veteran status, disability or religion. Understanding the key terms for harassment law will help you to keep your business safe from litigation alleging harassment.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Victim

When dealing with harassment, a victim is anyone who is genuinely offended by the behavior of the harasser. This means that the victim isn't necessarily the person being harassed.

I recommend: The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission provides detailed information about harassment in the workplace, including an explanation about potential victims.

Sexual harassment

Sexual harassment is a distinct problem that can cause serious trouble for your business. This type of harassment is any unwanted advances made by anyone in your business, including contractors, clients and employees.

I recommend: The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees offers in-depth information about sexual harassment and its effects on the workplace. Information on how to cope with sexual harassment and how to prevent it are also included.

Racially hostile environment

Any time that an environment is racially hostile, action must be taken to correct the situation immediately. There are numerous signs of a racially hostile environment. These include the presence of drawings, jokes or statements that are racially charged. Any environment that is racially hostile on a regular basis is considered a harassing environment if anyone complains and the hostility isn't corrected.

I recommend: The U.S. Department of Education provides information about how to detect a racially hostile environment and how to put a stop to the hostility.

Retaliatory harassment and/or termination

Retaliatory harassment and/or termination (discharge) is any situation in which harassment becomes a problem because of a complaint an employee made. If an employee complains about a manager showing preferential treatment and the manager starts to harass the employee, that is considered retaliatory harassment. In that case, the company may be guilty of both retaliation and harassment.

I recommend: Ross Law offers basic information about retaliatory harassment and termination. Javerbaum Wurgaft provides information about legal precedence for retaliatory harassment and retaliatory discharge.

Remedies

In the case of harassment law, remedies are the means of making amends with the victim. Back pay is the most common. However, punitive damages, compensatory damages, rehiring, employer training and repayment of fees are some of the remedies to which a victim may be entitled.

I recommend: Detailed explanations of remedies can be found on the Tennessee Employment Law Center website.

Electronic harassment

Electronic harassment is any harassment that occurs over the Internet. SPAM and threatening emails are examples of electronic harassment. Even though some people still use the SPAM technique for trying to market a business, it is illegal.

I recommend: Binghamton University offers information regarding electronic harassment and the ways to minimize the risks of it happening.