Employers including the government need to “reboot” workplace harassment prevention efforts, the EEOC has said, following release of a study conducted by the agency and others noting that harassment—both sexual and non-sexual in nature—is a top source of employee complaints brought to the agency.
Too much of the effort and training to prevent harassment “has been ineffective and focused on simply avoiding legal liability,” the EEOC said. Instead, training “needs to be part of a holistic, committed effort to combat harassment, focused on the specific culture and needs of a particular workplace.” Possibilities include training in workplace civility and bystander intervention.
Merely having effective reporting and response systems in place is also not enough if employees fail to use them for fear of retaliation, it added.
The report makes recommendations for harassment prevention; includes a chart of risk factors that may allow harassment to occur; lists policies and procedures to reduce and eliminate harassment; and offers a toolkit of compliance assistance measures for employers.
Days before the report’s release, the Interior Department sent a memo to all agencies reminding them of anti-harassment policies in light of findings in IG reports of harassment at several facilities.
