Violence and harassment must not be tolerated in any workplace, and most jurisdictions have laws that outline an employer’s responsibility to prevent them. Violence and harassment affect employee well-being, mental health, job tenure, absenteeism, and workplace satisfaction. They can cause high turnover, and in some cases be considered discrimination. So where do you begin your efforts to reduce or eliminate violence and harassment in your workplace? Your culture.
The more prevalent violence and harassment are in the workplace, the more resources employers must spend on resolving the issues, so employers need to intervene early and often before violence and harassment spread. In a 2016 study conducted by Statistics Canada,
in the workplace in the past year. Violence and harassment take on many forms, including verbal, psychological, physical, and sexual. They may take place in person or virtually. Violence and harassment can be difficult to recognize, which is why employers need to act.
A workplace that is free of violence and harassment is the result of conscious decisions and actions on the part of the employer. To be successful, you must start with a zero-tolerance attitude. Next, you should create and communicate clear policies and procedures, conduct HR training, maintain support from managers, and involve your employees in the important conversations.
As an employer, you will have greater success at reducing the occurrence of violence and harassment if you embed the principles into your company culture. How can you make this happen? Download our FREE Guide to a Zero-Tolerance Violence and Harassment Workplace, which provides key steps and considerations as you work toward a zero-tolerance culture.
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