Harassment claims can be financially and legally hard on an organization, but what about the influence on the harassed party. Sexual harassment can be debilitating to the victim. Effects on work performance and emotional welfare can be a big disaster. Entrepreneurs must be aware of this effect and reach the victim to alleviate the recovery process.
Pressure on victims of sexual harassment cannot be reduced. Job performance will definitely be affected in the short term and if harassment is not reported the performance of employees can deteriorate to a very low level. An employee who is harassed will lose a job and avoid situations where abuse can occur. In addition, worry and stress will take an employees mind away from his/her work. As a business owner, you can avoid such events by compiling with federal & state sexual harassment prevention training.
This type of stress can also occur after harassment claims have been reported. Fear working with harassment or retaliation from the perpetrators can penetrate the victim’s thoughts and behavior. It is very important that both parties are separated and are not required to work together. In addition, the perpetrators need to be warned about the legal consequences of retaliation and victims need to know the company’s policy on retaliation.
Most people have very strong views on sexual harassment and the victim may have to deal with the scorn of or loss of personal relationships with co-workers. The social sphere within a workplace may be divided amongst the victim and the perpetrator and it could lead to conflicts within the two camps. These behaviors need to be addressed immediately by management to minimize the affect on the workplace’s productivity.