Canadian HR Reporter

With the #MeToo movement and the high profi le sexual harassment and sexual assault allegations in the news over the last month, many are left wonder- ing how situations of long term, systemically accept- ed sexual harassment in an organization can happen. You may be wondering if it could possibly happen in your organization. Maybe you have already decided that it couldn't. The truth is – yes it could. Sadly, it may actually be happening and you aren't aware of it … or you are aware and simply don't see it for what it is. The internet is full of articles, blogs, and personal stories of how to stop workplace sexual harassment from happening: ensure you have good harassment policies, encourage targets to report inappropriate behaviour, ask bystanders not to turn a blind eye, provide training on what constitutes harassment. However, what is missing is asking people to have a good, hard, honest look at what happens in their or- ganization — as well as what doesn't happen. The sexual harassment allegations we are seeing in the news are of an extreme nature and some cross the line to assault. However, subtler, yet just as dev- astating, sexual harassment occurs in workplaces everywhere. To get a sense of how likely it is to hap- pen in your organization, answer the questions be- low honestly. While they may not seem to be directly linked to sexual harassment, they outline the condi- tions and attitudes that can allow harassment of all kinds to occur. 1. Are there people in your organization for whom it is accepted that they are rude or condescending because it is 'just who they are'? 2. Are there people who 'get away' with bending rules or going against policy because their perfor- mance is considered to be exemplary? Or because of who they are close to in the organization? 3. Are there employees that the company is disproportionately dependent on for new work, income, clients, etc. where their bad behaviour is being ignored? 4. Is your workplace culture one where, if an indi- vidual demonstrates aggressive or condescending behaviour no one does anything to stop it? 5. Do you have a workplace culture where leaders don't address issues head on and avoid diffi cult conversations? 6. Have you had multiple resignations of employees in one area? Is the resignation rate of females in your organization, or in one group, higher than that of males? 7. Do you have experiences of employees who go from top performers to bottom performers in a short period of time? 8. Do people consistently get high performance rat- ings, promotions or other rewards based on profi t or productivity metrics regardless of their negative behaviour towards others? 9. Do leaders operate with a lot of autonomy and have control over their staff's schedules, work assign- ments and assessments? 10. If you have an anonymous complaint line, do employees believe that complaints will not be dealt with or will not remain anonymous? 11. Have there been situations in the past where those who raised concerns were retaliated against, chastised, had their credibility questioned or other- wise 'punished'? 12. Are a disproportionate number of promotions, good job assignments or development opportunities granted to a specifi c group of employees? The number of times you answered 'yes' may have surprised you. Answering yes does not mean that harassment is happening. However, it indicates that the conditions that breed harassment are present in your organization. We encourage you to look at harassment with a new lens and take action — particularly if you are in a leadership role. Make sure you have a solid policy that addresses all forms of harassment and respect in the workplace. Train your leaders and employees on what is expected of them and what to do if they are the target of, or witness, harassing behaviour. Most importantly — don't turn a blind eye to inappropriate behaviour occurring at any level in the organization. Krista McIntosh is a Principal and Senior HR Consultant with ACTivate HR. She works with clients across Alberta and specializes in workplace investigations, organizational culture and customized HR solutions. ACTivateHR.ca #MeToo Is Sexual Harassment Happening in Your Organization? Krista McIntosh TAKE BACK THE DEFINITION OF 'HR' April 11 & 12 | Calgary, AB HRundefined.com 40+ Breakout Sessions 4 Keynotes Interactive Tradeshow 2018

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