How Can an Employer Prevent Workplace Sexual Harassment in Georgia?

It is the legal duty of every employer to make sure all their employers are safe, and they are not taken advantage of or harmed in any way while they are in the workplace. Notably, after the changes to the law in recent years, employers are expected to carry out an extremely high level of care and if they fail to carry out the necessary preventive measures, they can be held to account by the court for the harm their employees suffered due to their negligence.

One situation in which an employer will almost always have to answer to the law is if a serious complaint of sexual harassment or abuse was made and they did not do anything to prevent it from occurring or they simply dismissed it as something insignificant. Employees have the right to call an attorney and seek compensation and help if they were harassed and their complaint was ignored by their employer.

An employer can be held legally responsible if any of the following apply:

• The employee was harassed openly, and nothing was done about it
• The employer should have been aware of what was going on or they were aware, but they did not take any action to stop the harassment
• The employer was informed but failed to act

Since employers can face serious penalties for allowing sexual harassment to occur, it is in their best interest to take serious preventative measures, so this sort of behavior does not occur. Employers can teach their supervisors and employees about what the legal definition of sexual harassment is and they can inform everyone in the workplace that this sort of behavior will not be tolerated in the least.

To further prevent harassment, employers should make sure they take any complaints of this nature seriously, and they place the appropriate penalties into action so everyone in the office knows that this sort of behavior is not allowed under any circumstances. Employers can further give out frequent reminders letting everyone know to report any inappropriate behavior if they see it occurring. Providing more than one way for employees to file a complaint of this nature is also a great way to ensure everyone feels safe and no one feels like they must tolerate the harassment they’re facing.

Connect with a sexual harassment attorney in Georgia

Any employee who is facing sexual harassment should make sure they notify their management as early on as possible. The sooner they inform the authorities, the sooner they can get help to keep themselves safe. If the employer doesn’t do anything about the situation, a sexual harassment lawyer can help a person take the correct legal steps to get the attention and help they need.