Sexual Harassment: Eliminating Its Presence in the Workplace

A Manager's How-to Manual

by The Rev. Dr. Robert K. Landrum


Formats

Softcover
£13.86
Softcover
£13.86

Book Details

Language : English
Publication Date : 01/12/2002

Format : Softcover
Dimensions : 8.25x11
Page Count : 208
ISBN : 9780759689848

About the Book

Sexual harassment is, and has been, an issue many companies, organizations and institutions fear, misunderstand and often try to ignore, in hopes it will go away. It will not.

Recent court decisions require that organizations employing fifteen people or more have a specific policy on sexual harassment, adequate procedures for receiving and investigating complaints and education sessions for all employees, outlining the policy, the specifics of sexual harassment and the remedies available.

Sexual Harassment: Eliminating Its Presence in the Workplace provides a step-by-step process for identifying an organization’s current position, developing an effective policy statement, creating procedures for receipt, investigation and resolution of sexual harassment complaints and providing an ongoing program of training and education.

A sexual harassment policy states the organization’s guidelines. Dr. Landrum walks the reader through designing a policy tailor-made for the user’s organization, with various examples from which to draw. The procedures are the nuts and bolts that support the policy. Again, samples are provided, quick reference keys are included in the appendices and there are suggestions for tailoring the procedures to the individual needs of the organization. The sexual harassment program is the underlying support of the policy and procedures. This program provides the critical components of awareness and education. Training seminars are provided for use with all levels of employees and include understanding sexual harassment, evaluating behaviors, considerations of cultural and gender issues, all of which are emphasized with role playing exercises provided by the author. In addition, the book offers suggestions for ongoing awareness and education.


About the Author

Dr. Landrum is an ordained Episcopal minister, a retired bank president and a retired university professor, who taught in the field of business administration. During his tenure at the university, Dr. Landrum was falsely accused of sexually harassing three female students, on three separate occasions. Unfortunately, the university had no effective sexual harassment policy in place, nor any written procedures for receiving and investigating complaints. As a result, Dr. Landrum fought – and won – the ensuing civil suits on his own. During the course of these complaints, he did extensive and intensive research into the issues of sexual harassment and the handling of sexual harassment complaints in the workplace.

Nowhere could he find a comprehensive manual that provided direction on the three fronts necessary to eliminate the problems in the work place. A policy cannot be effective, without procedures to implement its requirements. A policy cannot be effective without means to educate the employees in the issue of sexual harassment and the importance of understanding and modifying behavior. To eliminate sexual harassment from the workplace, an ongoing program is necessary. Using his extensive research and his experience in how complaints should not be handled, Dr. Landrum devoted the past two years to developing a program that will, if implemented in its entirety, eliminate sexual harassment from the workplace and protect organizations from the potential of EEOC complaints and civil lawsuits.