NCJ Number
217300
Date Published
2006
Length
235 pages
Annotation
The purpose of this book is to help leaders in law enforcement, firefighting, and other traditionally male-dominated professions where women work improve the prevention, identification, investigation, and resolution of cases of sexual harassment.
Abstract
The book proposes six actions that such organizations can take in improving their prevention and response to sexual harassment in the workplace. First, a sexual harassment prevention policy should be developed and update it yearly. Second, the policy should be distributed to everyone in the organization and then redistributed regularly. Third, all employees should be trained about the policy and evaluated and retrained frequently. Fourth, a fair and effective process for receiving and investigating complaints of sexual harassment should be established. Fifth, supervisors and managers should be held responsible for monitoring the workplace for the purpose of detecting any violations of the organization's sexual harassment policy. Sixth, if a complaint of sexual harassment is made, immediate steps should be taken to resolve the situation. In the course of resolving a complaint, complainants should be protected from retaliation while a thorough, timely, and fair investigation of the complaint is conducted. Following the investigation, those in authority should impose any necessary discipline and/or conduct remedial training. After a complaint is resolved, follow-up should be conducted to ensure that the behaviors that caused the complaint have changed and that there is no retaliation against the complainant. The book's 20 chapters provide detailed guidance for implementing each of the aforementioned steps. 91 references and a subject index