A sexual harassment lawsuit can cost a business millions of dollars. The most recent example being the $95 million settlement awarded to a young woman, Ashley Alford, assaulted by a manager at Aaron’s Rents. Even though the woman reported the harassment before it culminated in a sexual assault, the upper management could have taken a more active role in preventing sexual harassment.
Alford reported the sexual harassment to the company months before the assault took place, but according to her nobody from Aaron’s investigated her allegations.
Most US companies have instituted policies that strictly forbid sexual harassment, but the problem still persists. Over 60 percent of women claim to have been harassed at work and many of these women don’t report or seek the counsel of a sexual harassment attorney. So what can be done?
Training, communication and addressing allegations are a few steps a company can take to avoid a sexual harassment lawsuit.
Many companies pass out handbooks and show training videos, which define what sexual harassment entails. They also have policies against harassment even so, many people may still not understand that even a lewd joke can constitute sexual harassment.
Teaching employees how to communicate is one way. An employee can take an active role in preventing sexual harassment by addressing the situation with the accused, and verbally requesting the behavior be halted. It is up to management to help train their employees on the correct ways to address sexual harassment through communication. By teaching each employee how to confront the harasser, the need for a sexual harassment lawyer can be avoided.
Companies should also have a more efficient reporting system in place, and people who will treat the allegations seriously. The woman in the Aaron’s case reported her manager, but her complaints fell through the crack of enforcement. Companies who actively investigate allegations of sexual harassment can avoid the pitfalls of a lawsuit. Taking an allegation serious no matter how trivial it may seem can prevent a fight with a sexual harassment attorney.
