What is Appropriate to Discuss in the Workplace?
Well, some of the fall T.V. shows had their season premieres this week. If you watched the series premiere of Free Agents on NBC last night starring Hank Azaria, I hope you would agree talking at a staff meeting about a co-worker’s evening escapade is not appropriate for the workplace. In fact, even more shocking was when the head of the company walks into the meeting and is told what the discussion is about, and encourages Hank Azaria’s character to just share “the good parts.” Hank’s character tries to shut down the conversation by stating, he met a woman last night and they had “wild animal sex” all night long. But, the discussion doesn’t end there. No, instead several colleagues begin to prod Hank’s character for more details, what was her body type, did her undergarments match, when the head of the company interjects, “Just the size and shape of breasts, straight to positions.” Of course, for T.V. the idea is to entertain, so you don’t want to just have the characters sitting around talking about work. But, if this type of discussion was occurring in your workplace, the doors are wide-open for a sexual harassment lawsuit.
It is important to remember in cases of sexual harassment, it is the welcomeness of the conduct by the recipient that is relevant to whether the conduct is harassment, regardless of whether the intent of the person engaging in the conduct is harmless or even friendly. Because it is almost impossible to judge whether conduct is welcome or unwelcome, most businesses have adopted a zero-tolerance policy with respect to sexual harassment in the workplace.
How do you protect your business?
1) Have a sexual harassment policy in your employee handbook or policy and procedure manual.
2) Train employees on the sexual harassment policy.
3) If you receive a complaint about sexual harassment, do a fair and thorough investigation.
4) If you see employees acting in inappropriate ways, put a stop to it immediately!
T.V. can be both entertaining and educational. The episode of Free Agents last night is a perfect example of what you do not want occurring in your workplace.
