As an employer in Colorado, you have a great deal of responsibility on your shoulders. You need to ensure that the productivity meets company standards, that you are performing your job well, that your employees act appropriately and that no illegal actions are occurring in the workplace.
When it comes to illegal activities, one of your main concerns likely relates to discrimination, harassment and other elements that could potentially create a hostile work environment. When your employees feel as if they cannot perform their work duties appropriately because of the treatment they face on the job, there is a chance that a legal claim could come against the company.
How can you maintain a favorable environment?
Though you may not have the ability to control every action of your employees, you do have the authority to create and implement policies that your workers should follow. These policies can include details that prohibit harassing actions in the workplace, which can go a long way in preventing a hostile work environment. Providing the company’s stance on harassment and the intolerable nature of discrimination and other harassing actions could be useful. It is also wise to make the policies easy to understand for all employees.
In addition to ensuring that employees understand company policies regarding harassment, you can conduct training sessions periodically to refresh everyone’s memory on what could constitute harassment and ways to prevent it. Some people may not necessarily believe that their actions are harassing or discriminatory, and this training could help them see when their actions may be inappropriate.
What if harassment does occur?
Of course, even if you have anti-harassment policies in place, employees could still feel subjected to mistreatment. If so, it is important that you review and process any reports in the appropriate manner. Handing out discipline as necessary and ensuring that the complaint is handled well overall could prevent a single issue from creating a hostile environment.
Because company policies hold such importance, you undoubtedly want to make sure that your policies are clear and convey the right message to your employees. A wise way to go about doing this is to go over risk management and policy creation with a knowledgeable employment law attorney. An attorney can explain the best ways to protect the company from possible claims of a hostile work environment and how to appropriately handle complaints.
