Issue Takes on Greater Concern in 2018
New Providence, NJ (April 12, 2018) — Sexual harassment and the #MeToo movement have inspired a culture change, and companies are placing an increased focus on company sexual harassment policies and training. More than half (53 percent) of the 548 organizations surveyed said that sexual harassment policies and training would take on a greater concern in 2018, according to a new XpertHR Workplace Sexual Harassment survey. However, while most (92 percent) have a formal sexual harassment policy, only 38 percent plan to update their policies in 2018.
“It’s not only important for organizations to have sexual harassment policies in place but to update them regularly and make sure employees are aware of them,” says Jessica Webb-Ayer, Legal Editor, XpertHR.
Three quarters of companies currently offer sexual harassment prevention training, while 22 percent do not. When asked about their plans for sexual harassment training in 2018, just 29 percent were planning to offer it, 43 percent were unsure if they would offer, and 27 percent were not planning to offer training. And, only 18 percent are planning to offer bystander training.
“Human resources departments should ensure that their supervisors are educated on harassment protection,” explains Webb-Ayer. “Employers may face increased liability risks for failing to take all reasonable steps necessary to prevent harassment from occurring.”
When it comes to confidentiality, only 39 percent of the respondents thought confidentiality agreements should be included in a sexual harassment settlement, while 32 percent had no opinion, and 28 percent said no, they did not think they should be included. The survey respondents who answered “no,” felt that “agreements protect the perpetrators,” “transparency is key to shedding light on the problem of sexual harassment,” and “the agreements would allow sexual harassment to continue.”
Only a few of the organizations surveyed had reached confidential agreements during the past five years (76 percent had zero settlements, while 2 percent had 20 or more). Participants who indicated that their organizations had settled sexual harassment claims in the past said they could be very costly to organizations. When asked to estimate the average amount paid for each settlement, survey respondents revealed that 18 percent were more than $50,000.
Increased Scrutiny and Confidence Levels
Overall, survey participants seemed relatively confident in their workplaces’ ability to combat and prevent sexual harassment. Sixty-eight percent felt that their workplace culture is inclusive and provides equal opportunities for women. Seventy-one percent were confident that employees in their workplace felt safe to report sexual harassment. Eighty-one percent felt confident in their workplace’s ability to fairly investigate sexual harassment claims. Seventy-four percent felt that senior management team models good behavior and sets the tone for a harassment-free environment.
“All employers — both large and small — need to make sure they are tackling the issue of sexual harassment in the right manner and avoiding common mistakes,” says Webb-Ayer.
XpertHR lists these five fundamentals any organization should have in place to address sexual harassment:
- A zero tolerance sexual harassment policy;
- Harassment training;
- A multichannel complaint process;
- Investigation procedures; and
- Retaliation protections.
For a full copy of the survey report, visit XpertHR.com.
About XpertHR
XpertHR helps build successful workforces by providing practical tools, expert resources and agile HR solutions for the federal, state and municipal level to help businesses stay a step ahead.
