It is important when wanting to run a successful business, that employers ensure their employees are free of common workplace issues, such as harassment and discrimination.
While even the best businesses work hard to ensure they have policies in place, they may experience one of these potential workplace issues. In the event that it does happen, it is critical to ensure that workplace issues are being handled correctly and efficiently.
- Use respect and consideration. When a complaint is brought to your attention, it is important to ensure that they are treated with both respect and consideration, taking their claim seriously.
- Do not place blame. It is critical to not place blame on the person that is filing the complaint. If you do, not only do you risk the chances of a retaliation claim, but you are also making yourself an unreliable and untrustworthy resource for your employees.
- Do not retaliate. Just like it is important to not blame your complainant, it is as equally critical to ensure that you are not retaliating against them as well. It is illegal to punish any employee for filing a complaint, so be sure to avoid any sort of punishment. This may include, but are not limited to changing the employee’s hours or pay, terminating their employment, or excluding them from business events.
- Follow the correct procedures. Every business should have a policy in place on how to handle any form of complaint, especially discrimination and harassment ones. Be sure to follow these established rules in order to prevent unfair treatment or incorrect procedures.
- Perform interviews. It is imperative to ensure that you have every possible detail of the issue before making any decisions. Be sure to document your investigation, including the details of the interviews, the steps you have taken, as well as any action that may have been taken against the accused individual.
- Keep it confidential. Not only is it not your place, or any other employees’ place to know about the complaint, as well as the details. Not only will this information have the ability to damage a workplace environment, but it can also damage the reputations of any persons involved.
If you are experiencing a workplace discrimination or harassment issue, contact the employment attorneys at Maduuf & Maduff today.