Creating an Anti-Harassment Policy for Workplace Sexual Discrimination

Harassment in the workplace can bring lawsuits, lower morale, decrease productivity, and increase employee turnover. Therefore, it is imperative that modern organizations offer inclusionary work environments where all employees are treated equitably and professionally in every workplace interaction, regardless of their gender. Each employee has the right to perform his/her expertise and passion in a professional organizational culture that promotes equal employment opportunities while prohibiting all forms of harassment and illegal discrimination. The methodology used in this paper is based on the personal experiences of two active human resource professionals along with an assessment of best practices in anti-harassment policies. While there are many papers dealing with anti-harassment literature and recommendations, there are very few published practical policies for integration in the workplace. As such, in this paper, we explore the importance of an anti-harassment policy regarding sexual discrimination through an example. Consequently, the importance of understanding harassment, reporting it, and effectively handling such allegations are presented. We recommend various necessary components of an anti-harassment policy along with an example of how such a policy can be legally written and documented.