What should a supervisor do in terms of preventing harassment and effectively dealing with it when it occurs?
Unit heads and other supervisors are responsible for creating and maintaining supportive and harassment-free work and academic environments for all members of the university community. Supervisors must show that they have job-related reasons for making employment decisions. It is advisable for supervisors to develop new ways of thinking and implement proactive, preventive harassment measures in the working and learning environments. If a faculty or staff member, or a student makes a complaint of harassment to the supervisor, she/he has the responsibility for responding promptly and adequately to such complaints and for seeking assistance from the University’s Equity Office in resolving the complaint.
Equity Office personnel will gladly brainstorm about ways that supervisors can resolve problems in their departments. Accordingly, here are some recommended guidelines to help you develop and maintain harassment-free environments as well as proactively ward off harassment complaints:
- Develop Fair & Consistent Policies: You might think you’re doing an employee a favor by treating him or her differently from other employees. But it’s crucial that you treat all employees in essentially the same way. If you have policies, procedures, and guidelines in place in your department/unit, make sure all employees are expected to follow them – and treated accordingly if they don’t. When interviewing job applicants or considering candidates for promotion, make sure that you consider only factors that are objective and job related.
- Establish a No Tolerance Policy: Establishing a no tolerance policy means declaring that the employer will not stand for harassment, discrimination or retaliation in the workplace. The policy should state that all complaints will be investigated and any violation may result in disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment.
- Make Sure the Policy is Widely Disseminated: Every employee should know their employer’s policy that forbids harassment, discrimination and retaliation. And, they should know that a violation of the policy may lead to disciplinary action that could include termination of employment. Both the policy and the consequences of violating it should be taught in training, printed in employee handbooks, and where appropriate, posted in the workplace.
- Make it Easy for Employees to Make a Complaint: Employees should be able to complain to someone other than their immediate supervisor if they choose. This is important, since the supervisor is often the subject of the complaint. Someone outside the employee’s chain of command should be available to hear complaints. It is appropriate for a supervisor to inform an employee that support with employment concerns is available for them. The Equity Office is an appropriate starting place for an employee to bring a workplace concern, and Counseling for Faculty and Staff can provide meaningful support for employees, as well.
- Investigate Complaints Promptly and Objectively: A prompt and objective investigation should be the standard response to any complaint of harassment or discrimination. Even in the absence of a complaint, if management has knowledge of discrimination or harassment in the workplace, an investigation should be conducted. A prompt and objective investigation says to everyone involved – the accuser, the accused, and the courts – that the employer takes complaints of harassment and discrimination seriously. Under the law, an employer can be found liable for failing to conduct a proper investigation. Within one working day upon learning of a complaint, the supervisor or unit head must contact the Equity Office. In collaboration, a thorough and prompt plan to alleviate and/or investigate the concern and rectify the situation will be implemented, if deemed appropriate.
- Take Appropriate Remedial Action to Prevent a Recurrence: If findings support that an employee has engaged in harassment, remedial and/or disciplinary action must be taken. The situation should be monitored to measure the effectiveness of the remedial action in preventing a recurrence.
