Reference no: EM132961405

Sexual Harassment

The company has had a sexual harassment policy in place for several years. The policy has a standard definition of sexual harassment, plus a statement that says, "Any employee found guilty of sexual harassment will be subject to discipline, up to and including termination." Three years ago, the company hired an outside training consultant to present a three-hour program to all employees on the policy. The training included definitions of sexual harassment, the responsibilities of the company to prevent sexual harassment, and information on procedures an employee should follow if anyone feels he or she has been sexually harassed. Since that time, new employees have been given the policy during orientation, and once a year, a video that was purchased for the employee training program is shown as part of a "bag-lunch learning" session.

There have been a few incidents of sexual harassment over the last year. In your opinion, some of them could have been handled better by supervisors and managers, but you don't think there's any major risk to the company right now. At a recent staff meeting, there was significant disagreement among several of your supervisors. One in particular argued that the company needs to do more, that there is a lot more harassment going on than has been reported. Several others argued that "enough is enough, we're sick of the HR police dictating every rule that has to be followed." They argue, "Most of these incidents are just normal ?boys will be boys' type things."

Select your response from those given below. You may choose only one.

1. Do nothing. (Cost: none)

2. Distribute a copy of the current policy to all employees at a special meeting. (Cost: $1,000)

3. Develop a "zero tolerance" policy, and distribute it. (Cost: $2,000)

4. Develop "zero tolerance" policy, and present it in department meetings. (Cost: $3,000)

5. Develop "zero tolerance" policy, and hire a consultant to develop and present a new training program. (Cost: $10,000)