Improving Working Conditions is Easier Than You Think

Improving Working Conditions is Easier Than You Think

How Companies can Prevent Harassment 

According to Darrell Burrell, half of all women have experiences sexual harassment in the workplace. Fifty percent. That statistic of women who have experienced should be triggering a national emergency, but for corporate America, it's treated as a normal experience. Behind that number there are countless stories that never made it to HR or reported for legal action. That number is stories of employees who felt unheard, dismissed, or punished for speaking up. These people represents a failure that could've been prevented. Harassment has become normalized in so many environments. Employees become scared to report what happened because of retaliation that may occur. Some people are scared that speaking up could cause them to lose their position or be seen as dramatic. Reducing harassment in the workplace doesn't have to be complex. Improving conditions, implementing real policies, and revising hiring policies are all proven ways to create a safer workplace.

Harassment not only damages individuals, it affects entire workplaces. Stress increases, mental health is damaged, and efficiency is declined. Research shows that productivity drops and customer satisfaction declines in environments where harassment is tolerated. There is an increase of absentees when harassment is normalized. Workers are anxious become to come into work. This can be detrimental to a company because both employees and productivity is being impacted. Innovation is lost when employees feel unsafe. When employees lose trust in their workplace, the damage goes deeper than within individuals. Employees become hesitant to collaborate and communication become decreased. This causes a lack of motivation where workers are trying to get through the day instead of using their full potential.   

A BBC survey found that one in ten employees didn't know their workplace had a sexual harassment policy or was never told that one existed. A policy that workers can't find or don't know exist is as useful as no policy. These policies that are hidden show their employees that their problems won't be valued. If a company really wanted their employees to report harassment, they would have visible and explicit policies that are reinforced through training. The lack of training leaves workers unsure what classifies as harassment. There could be more reports made, if employees knew whether their experience is against policy. 

Some companies often prefer to handle things internally. Usually this means ignoring and minimizing problems to protect reputations. That message shows employees that silence is safer than speaking up. This makes harassment become a cycle where people stay quiet because of what they saw happened when others spoke up. Managers begin looking the other way to prevent ruining their chances of promotion. HR departments prioritize legal safety over human safety. 

Improving the environment of workplaces is one way to break that cycle. Some people argue that changing the workplace environment will take too long and won't ever be finished. A respectful workplace isn't created overnight, but overtime employees will start speaking up when they know they'll be believed, supported, and taken seriously. Trust and accountability isn't optional, it should be mandatory. Darrell Burrell points out that organizations must demonstrate their standards through their actions if they want to create a harassment free environment. Small, intentional steps grow over time, and can cause policies to shift creating a safer environment. 

Another change that must be taken starts before employees enter a job. Changing hiring standards was proved to significantly reduce harassment by filtering out candidates whose behavior or ethics shows risks. Evaluating emotional intelligence and behavior patterns can help prevent harassment from even entering the workplace.  This measure is more than running background checks, it's evaluating character to promote respect and better ethics. 

Harassment doesn't have to be a normal part of a company. Cultures can change and the systems can improve. Workplace harassment can become avoidable when companies commit to raising their standards and holding all of their employees accountable. When workplaces start having a better environment, their productivity and efficiency also become better. SocioEconomic Challenges emphasizes, prevention and remediation are essential from both businesses and employees. Small improvements can start making a huge impact.