Harassment Memo

A lot of companies today are committed towards building an environment that is conducive to all its employees to work in. They say that the success of a workplace violence and horseplay prevention program depends to a large extent on the executive committee set up to establish and oversee the programs. The group's duties are to formulate policies that define workplace violence, and to determine consequences and punishments. This is in their struggle to make sure that they maximize resources and that the company heads towards its set goals. Such an environment can only be achieved by get rid of all forms of violence and horseplay in the work place. This is because such vices only eat in to a lot of the employee’s time and create bad relationships

Employers need to have a clear understanding about the laws that are in place to protect them and their employees as well as how to prevent and address such claims. An option for employers is provide training for their employees and supervisors. Research shows that 49.7% of harassment cases are seen between co-workers, 26.4% from direct supervisors, 17.1% from other superior, and 6.8% from customers and vendors (Glazer, 1996). The trainings Santiago-Santos will provide employers with an insight on how to adapt their internal policies to comply with employment laws. Also, the employer training will help them develop a process of reporting and dealing with such claims internally and what their rights are when a claim reaches the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

Bullying and harassment within the workplace can be attributed to a myriad of factors. The work

In the United States Walmart effects negatively retail worker wages as well as retail employment. In addition, University of California researchers found that workers in Walmart earn on average 12.4 % less than retail workers as a whole (UNI Global Union, 2012). Walmart’s workers demonstrated thier dissatisfaction with working conditions and low wages by protesting on Black Friday 2012, which is the day the company is making the biggest profit. Walmart workers stood up and more than 1,000 demonstrations in a hundreds encouraging Walmart to act ethicaly towards them. For workers protesting it was a huge risk as they are oficially not protected by any labour union (Progress, 2012). Another evidence that Walmart treats its employees unfairly are discrimination claims. Women workers in California pursue discrimination claims saying that Walmart systematically treats them unfairly. According to women workers retail giant denied to pay raises and promotions due to gender bias (Levine & Gupta, 2011).

Workplace violence has existed throughout history. However, historical documentation of workplace violence is vague and sometimes non-existent. Documented workplace violence is believed to have existed during the Roman Empire, the Renaissance Era, and it continues today. It seems unfortunate, but as long as a “society” exists, workplace violence will more than likely exist. Therefore, employers must understand: the history of workplace violence, the effects it has on the organization, the reasons why it occurs, the warning signs, and ways to prevent it from occurring. Most importantly, it is the responsibility of the Manager, to not only understand workplace violence, but to ensure that all employees

* Bullying and harassment – sets out how it is dealt with for the staff being bullied or bullying others

Recently, a number of researchers have included sexual harassment behaviours in their definitions of workplace violence and aggression.

Violence in any form will not be tolerated and will be dealt with appropriately. Employees at all levels are encouraged to report threatening or intimidating behavior to the appropriate authorities in and outside the department.

While employed at Store X no training on the prevention of sexual harassment or harassment ever took place. Prevention and education is key to informing employees of their rights should a right be violated and to keep the discrimination from happening. If training

This report will show you why harassment is such a big problem in the workplace

Developing a plan of action to defuse an individual immediately upon hearing about the violent behaviors. Zero Tolerance policy is key in prohibiting any kind of violence or threat and to advise termination for any acts of violence. Employees need to be notified of the policy and employers should make sure that they review the policy and sign to acknowledge it. Training should also be implemented in order to teach supervisors and employees in detection, reporting, and prevention of workplace violence. “It is important to instill a sense of responsibility in employees for preventing violence, and teach them to recognize the signs of potential or actual violence and to take appropriate action such as defusing or reporting it” (http://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/administrative/labor_law/meetings/2008/ac2008/056.authcheckdam.pdf). Threat assessment team is another option in decreasing workplace violence by including an individual from human resources, security, EEO, decision-makers management, and unions. The team evaluates the risk of an individual, implement a confidential reporting center for complaints of workplace violence, and encourage employees to report incidents.

Several models and concepts arose in preventative measures to workplace violence in nursing. One conceptual model, according to Covert Crime at Work, is “a conceptual model derived from 370 surveys show working conditions conducive to bullying, thus helping to identify risks early and to prevent unhealthy environments from developing.” After recognition of these research and studies, organizations such as Occupations Safety and Hazard Association, American Nurses Associations, and etc, have implemented guidelines to prevent workplace violence in nursing.

Employees should have the right to feel safe in their work environment and to be free from workplace bullying. Employers need to be held accountable and have a plan in place to protect the employees from this type of violence. Barbara McCulloch is a mediator who has developed a process of mediation to address the complicated issues of bullying behavior in the workplace (McCulloch, 2010). Barbara suggests that

I am compelled to express concern about how we at Red Fox LLC might better handle issues related to Bullying in the Workplace.

Workplace violence is a serious and growing issue in society. Employers need to develop intervention strategies to decrease reduce violence in the workplace. Also, employers and employees need to be aware of the signs when people exhibit behaviors that can lead to workplace violence. As a society, the issue needs to be acknowledged of the reality and work together for creating a solution. Lastly, employers and employees must not live in fear of addressing concerns if they see the potential for workplace violence or report when they witness or experience workplace violence.