Memo

To: From: Date: Re: Cheryl Shuman Hoang Chau Christopher Nguyen September 17, 2013 No Harassment Policy

Introduction I have found the employees at Inquire understand little of the types of harassment in the workplace and personal safety. Having a limited view of harassment shapes a dangerous environment for all employees at Inquire. I recommend that we define the importance of a safe work environment, types of harassment, and the appropriate action to take by all employees at Inquire. By implementing these plans of action will create a safe workplace environment, avoidance in legal expenses, and consistent work productivity. Creating a Safe Environment Research has shown that harassment has harmful psychological effects on victims. This causes decrease in work performance, loss of days, loss of productivity, and creates a negative image on the company. This is highly detrimental for the employees and the company. At Inquire, we must strive for safety for all employees by treating everyone with respect and dignity. With the training, all employees at Inquire will understand to act appropriately at all times to create a safe workplace environment. List of Harassment Here is the list, from most common problem to the least, to be included in the training course and the employees handbook on No-Harassment Policy for all employees to be aware of: Sexual Harassment o A conduct, gesture, or contact of a sexual nature that is unwanted and inappropriate to other employees. Examples to include are but not limited to: Unwanted touching, patting, or leering Gender based comments Repeated unwanted social or sexual invitations Harassment/Hazing o Any act to humiliate, intimidate, or offend another person for any reason at all will not be tolerated at Inquire

Discrimination o A decision or an idea to exclude a person based on gender, ethnicity, religion, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, or gender identity. Racism o Any form of thought, action, or communication to portray one race is superior to the other. Sexism o Any form of thought, action, or communication to portray one sex is superior to the other. Fraternize o Any form of relationship in the workplace that is inappropriate, distracting, low productivity, in the workplace.

Strategies to Eliminate Harassment Other companies has shown improvement in reducing harassment by setting a time for training to increase awareness on companys policy on No Harassment in the workplace. I highly recommend having a one-time annual training, thereby reducing minimal productivity while maintaining awareness. With the annual training, I recommend that we designate an officer to be in charge of training all employees at Inquire. With the designated officer, the responsibilities include training, handling, filling, and implementing of strategies. Such strategies include, but not limited to: Add an anonymous complaint box. This creates awareness for support and employees would seek help. Display multiple posters posted throughout the work space. This allows employees to know the companys zero tolerance on harassment Supply brochures with information and resource. This allows employee to have readily access on company's policies.

Responsibilities of Workers With the training, the trainer should emphasize the options employees have to report the types of harassment they witness in the workplace. The trainer should also cover different scenarios of harassment an employee may encounter to understand what steps to take when it occurs. By having training and visual aid, research has shown that it opens communication between workers and supervisors. Therefore, an employee who witnesses any inappropriate conduct is more likely to report the behavior to their supervisor. Failure to keep the importance of the policy will damage the environment to the company and cause an unsafe place to work. Conclusion From the research, I have concluded by having everyone aware of the No-Harassment Policy is the key to keep a safe workplace environment. Giving all employees training, reminders, and options will greatly reduce and/or eliminate the amount of harassment in the workplace. Every plan of action keeps everyone aware and secure, while the company focuses on other issues and concerns to keep it growing.
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