Workplace Harassment, HRM Essay Example

The company is devoted to providing a working environment that provides employees respect, equality, and dignity. This does not depend on the job specification of the employee, but the environment is conducive to all the employees. In ensuring this is the situation within the workplace the company has adopted a policy of 'Zero tolerance' with regard to employee harassment. It is essential to get the precise definition of bullying and this is the unwelcome conduct that is based on religion, race, national origin, age disability or genetic information or color sex (sexual orientation, pregnancy, genetic identity) as per the federal law. Harassment becomes unlawful when the following factors are met in the workplace:

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Enduring of the offensive conduct or behavior becomes a condition of continued employment towards an employee in the workplace

The practice of the conducting behavior is severe to the extent the work environment becomes hostile or abusive to the victim employee, and a reasonable person can consider the situation is intimidating.

The policy applies to all the aspects of one's employment, and applies to any case of harassment of a fellow employee, visitor of the company, client or customer, whether the situation happens within the company premises or away and it calls for immediate termination of the employee. The company also will conduct a thorough investigation and leave no stone unturned in the case of any incident reported. And the company will not stand retaliation against anyone who complains of harassment or who participates in an investigation.

Sexual Harassment

The federal law, state law, and the local law prohibit sexual harassment, and this applies equally to both the male gender and the female gender within the society same to the company's case. Sexual harassment is defined by the federal law as the unwelcome sexual advances or sexual favor requests or other verbal or physical conducts which are sexual by nature when they are conducted:

When the conduct is used as a basis for an employment decision that affects the employee.

When the conduct explicitly or implicitly interferes with the terms of an employee's employment.

The interference of employees work performance or ends up creating an intimidating, hostile or offensive working environment.

Sexual harassment does not only entail the above but also includes, explicit posters, sexually oriented jokes, inappropriate touches, posting of sexually suggestive calendars within the workplace, photographs, cartoons or graffiti. And the repeated request for dates. All these are categorized as sexual harassment as per the company. The policy also restricts the harassment and discrimination based on sex stereotyping. The company encourages the immediate reporting of these cases regardless of who the offender is and every employee is encouraged to raise questions to their immediate supervisor in case of these situations. Any sort of intimidation also in the intent to suppress the scenario is faced by an instant termination of the culprit.

Procedure for Reporting and Investigating a Harassment Case

The employee should report the incident immediately it has happened

The employee who is a victim of harassment should report this incident immediately to the supervisor despite the position of the involved offender, may it be the manager, the visitor, fellow employee, vendor or a client.

If the employee's immediate supervisor then the employee is supposed to report the incident to the Human Resource department. It is worth mentioning that the company handles harassment cases very serious no matter how tiny the matter may seem.

All the filed cases of sexual harassment or any other form of harassment are reported the investigation is launched immediately.

It is also worth mentioning that the company handles these cases with the highest level of confidentiality except to the involved parties of the case and those with important information relevant to the investigation. All the involved parties are also expected to cooperate fully and any form or response less this will be addressed as a different violation of the company policies. Also, the accused employees have a chance to defend themselves by either verbal practice or by writing as long as the case is well organized.

Penalties for harassment violations

The company has a variety of approaches to the case ranging from counseling to termination of employment. Other measures involve suspension of the harasser.

Holiday Pay

Every employee is entitled to a list of holidays provided below;

Labor Day

Memorial Day

Christmas Day

New Year's Day

Independence Day

Washington Day

Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.

[Day after thanksgivings, Veteran Day, Columbus Day ]

Those are the internationally identified holidays as per the company, personal cultural or religious holidays are not recognized by the company, and in case an employee would wish to attend such holidays information of their immediate superior is require not just missing from work since this will be seen as absenteeism which has its own outcome.

Overtime

Due to the form of the services and care, we offer our clients; it is evident that our company requires overtime. The company will give you advance information about the overtime required, and the company will compensate the overtime an employee does overtime in relation to the number of hours. In case of unavailability of the employee, notification of the immediate supervisor is crucial so as to get the allocation join place for the next employee.

Bonus

The company offers different forms of bonuses to its employees starting with the employee of the month to the employee of the year. This is assessed by the review of the employee's performance among other things. The company also offers overtime bonuses and yearly bonuses after a review of the company's financial year. The years that the company has performed well bonuses are offered to the employees to appreciate the hard work.

Personal Leave

The company offers Personal leave which can be used for different purposes such as;

A family member or personal illnesses

A personal business that one cannot manage to meet during outside ours from work

Medical appointments that can't be rescheduled non-working days

Notification Procedure

This absence should be notified directly to your immediate supervisor. Illnesses are unpredictable hence prior notification is not an option hence a chance the situation is under control, notify your immediate supervisor. Immediately on reporting back doctors documents are required for filing purpose. In case of appointments, it is vital to inform your immediate supervisor before the day so as to create awareness in the workplace. This applies to personal business as well and a brief explanation as to how the matters cannot be handled off hours from work.

Education Leave

The company offers educational leave which is offered to every employee as long as the employee provides the required documents. The leave is customarily awarded to the employee during the exam period for the employee to extensively prepare for their exams and then after the exams the employee is expected to report back to the company and inform his immediate supervisor and in case of a different situation the employee needs to keep in contact with the human resource department.

Notification Procedure

This involves the reporting of the education venture the employee intends to take and the nature of the classes so as to avoid conflict with the employee's working schedules. The company advocates for night classes and weekend classes or ELearning for its employees. After this is notified with the HR department, the employee informs of the examination period, and the company offers 14 days exams preparation where the employee is on a full leave from school so as to prepare for their exams. The notification process needs to be filed prior the employee's absence.

Bereavement Leave

The company offers up to 4 days of paid time off in the case of a death within the employees family and this involves, the mother, father, sister, brother, parent in law, brothers in law or sisters in law while the company offers a 2 day paid leave if the death is of an extended family who includes relatives, grandparents, uncles or aunts and cousins. The company provides company during this moment and offers a few company colleagues to join their fellow employees to witness the deceased send off.

Procedure for Notification

The employee informs his immediate supervisor immediately the situation happens so as to receive the leave days for the mourning period. The leave is awarded immediately.