Sexual Harassment Grievances Are Never Easy

Study The Company's Sexual Harassment Policy

One of the first things you will want to look at when handling a sexual harassment grievance is the company's policy for handling sexual harassment complaints. Nearly every company has developed one.

The company's policy should provide a procedure for making these complaints that protects both the accused and the accuser. Unlike some other complaints, a person who accuses another of sexual harassment may become the subject of further abuse by other workers -- sometimes inadvertently. For example, if details of an embarrassing incident become known on the shop floor, other workers may gossip about what happened, causing more embarrassment for the accuser.

In other cases, workers may retaliate against the accuser for going against their friend. They may believe the accuser just has a grudge or is not telling the whole story. You may remember when law professor Anita Hill accused Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas of sexual harassment during his confirmation hearing. Her motives were called into question. Some of Thomas's supporters even "leaked" phony stories about her romantic life. In the end, the truth was very difficult to discern. The same sort of behaviors often come into play on the shop floor. Even if one of your members is accusing a supervisor of harassment, other members may not approve of his or her actions. And when two members are involved, one the accuser and one the accused, emotions can run very high.

That is why your company policy should provide a way for workers to make their complaints in private, to a person specifically designated to hear that type of complaint. These complaints should remain confidential, as much as possible.

And the company should guarantee that they, too, will not retaliate against an accuser, unless they can show that the person maliciously put forward a case just for revenge or other personal reasons and there is no doubt that no harassment ever occurred.

Most company policies include a "zero tolerance" clause, promising to deal with allegations quickly and to use drastic measures to stop harassment when necessary. Flagrant harassers or employees who engage in especially odious behavior are usually fired.

Whatever your company's policy, every worker is entitled to work in a harassment-free environment.