Introduction
Java Corp strives to create and maintain working circumstances that treat personnel with respect, humility, and compassion. The organization’s working environment must be marked by mutual regard and the absence of coercion, manipulation, and harassment. This policy sets all the essential tools to avoid abuse and provides crucial tactics for addressing complaints and misconduct allegations. Java Corporation will not tolerate unauthorized intimidation or prejudice in any manner. By implementing this policy and educating its employees, Java will seek to limit and penalize behavior that violates it. Furthermore, all employees, regardless of their job titles, are expected to adhere to this guideline and take the necessary precautions to guarantee that prohibited conduct does not arise within the organization. Any employee who violates this regulation will incur the appropriate repercussions. Hence, depending on the gravity of the violation, the repercussions may include a written or oral caution or dismissal from work. Thus, this essay aims to develop an anti-harassment workplace policy to help Java Corporation provide a job-free discrimination atmosphere.
Prohibited Conduct under this Policy
This part will offer detailed information on each forbidden action outlined in this regulation and include descriptions of each action. Nonetheless, Java Corp has no intention of limiting the concept to what is stated here. In accusations, objections, and judgments, all interested stakeholders should carefully evaluate the evidence and avoid jumping to erroneous conclusions (Roscigno, 2019). Java Corp carries out this procedure following all applicable municipal, provincial, and national nondiscrimination and harassment laws in compliance with the following specifications and standards.
Discrimination
Discrimination is unfair or derogatory conduct toward a person or group due to an underlying motive. The existing federal regulations will serve as the basis for defining these fundamental grounds. Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act is the most prevalent federal legislation prohibiting prejudice in the US. This governmental guideline forbids race, color, gender, region, creed, ethnicity, and pregnancy-based exploitation (Gold, 2018). Moreover, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) forbids harassment based on a person’s disability. The Age Discrimination in Employment Act and the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 are two other federal statutes that will serve as guidelines.
As a result, Java Corp considers it an infringement of the organization’s rules to discriminate against people based on race, gender, ethnicity, faith, age, impairment, functional capacity, sexual identity, gender expression, genetic data, or relationship status, as well as any other variability that should not constitute a determinant in dispensing responsibilities. In this situation, prejudice will consist of the unjust provision or denial of job prospects, incentives, and perks (Roscigno, 2019). It will include introducing biased labor practices, such as evaluating employees in a biased manner. This policy breach will lead to punitive action, including dismissal from the job.
Harassment
Workplace harassment involves intentional behaviors and statements intended to violate and irritate another person. These unpleasant behaviors and statements have the capacity and intent to cause mental injury through bullying, animosity, devaluation, assaults on authenticity, and the creation of a hostile workplace (Nachmias & Rosenbloom, 2018). Harassment can take many forms, encompassing romantic, oral, and nonverbal, and ethical harassment (Sigursteinsdottir & Karlsdottir, 2022). As in the example of Java Corp, where staff expressed unpleasant, uncomfortable remarks, verbal bullying consists of making unwanted statements. Nonverbal harassment alludes to unwanted behavioral activities that denigrate or contribute to an adverse work atmosphere, such as displaying materials criticizing a specific race.
Sexual Harassment
Sexual misconduct is characterized as any unwanted sexual approaches, whether verbal, unconscious, or physical, that can affect employability. Sexual abuse occurs when inappropriate sexual compliments and rumors are made verbally (Cassino & Besen‐Cassino, 2019). Non-verbal sexual assault happens when provocative material such as publications, overtly sexual tones, motions, and even glances are distributed or displayed. The final type of sexual misconduct is physical, which incorporates unintentional bodily contact (Anjum et al., 2018). Java Corporation will not limit intimidation to these four categories and will evaluate each instance individually to decide if it constitutes harassment. Thus, it violates corporate policy to make disrespectful or unpleasant remarks about a person’s heterogeneity, including but not restricted to ethnicity, gender, or sexual preference.
It is also against corporate rules to debate, exhibit, or disseminate content to demean, humiliate, degrade, or injure any person or entity because of their differences or position. Moreover, Java Corp forbids unsolicited sexual overtures and solicitations, whether physical, oral, or textual, if accepting or denying these propositions determines job results. In this context, Java Corporation strongly opposes intimate and sexual interactions between executives and administrators and their juniors. The corporation demands managers and coworkers in the same division who engage in such interactions promptly report them to the HR department to prevent later charges of quid pro quo intimidation. This allows the HR sections to determine if the participants will be transferred to separate units. This policy breach will result in disciplinary proceedings, including dismissal from the job.
Retaliation
When an employer carries out an adverse measure against a worker for expressing their liberties, this is known as retaliation. Java Corporation firmly discourages its personnel from engaging in acts of retribution. It bans imposing any difficulty, loss, or punishment on an individual for considerations such as submitting and handling allegations of misconduct and discrimination. Workers should not be disciplined for consenting to serve as evidence in litigation or probes or as detectives (Pyke, 2018). Nonetheless, all employees are cautioned against making nasty and untrue claims, as they would also breach this rule. Policy violations will lead to penalties that will likely result in a layoff.
Confidentiality
Human Resources at Java Corporation appreciates the necessity of confidentiality in such situations. Thus, this is done to safeguard the complainant and, in certain instances, the wrongfully convicted. As a result, all grievances will be handled with the highest discretion, and advertising knowledge will only be shared on a need-to-know approach. In addition, the HR unit will guarantee that the accuser is properly secured from retaliation during the inquiry and trial. Acknowledging the anonymity of those assaulted will be a primary concern in this situation, safeguarding Java Corporation from unfavorable publicity.
Complaint Procedure
Java Corp has established the following line of action for addressing allegations of prejudice, intimidation, and revenge. To the greatest extent that is practically practicable, the institution will manage every facet of the disciplinary procedure in secret. The initial step in the complaint process is submitting a formal statement to the human resources division. The HR administrator will then relay this allegation to top executives and consult with the legal department. The HR supervisor then conducts an inquiry to establish if there are plausible reasons to believe the accusation is true. In this situation, the claimants and respondents are split through relocation or temporary suspension. The interrogation mechanisms involving the accuser, the perpetrator, and any witnesses then commence. Following the investigation, the existence or lack of a transgression is determined, and the necessary corrective measure is recommended. The HR department then contacts the accuser and the offender to inform them of the inquiry’s findings. This regulation does not restrict the claimant from pursuing additional civil proceedings in the case of a breach of dissatisfaction.
Employee Acknowledgment of Policy
Java Corp will publish this guideline to all key stakeholders within the organization. The guideline will also be included in the staff manual, where all workers will be expected to execute a declaration stating that they have reviewed, comprehended, and agreed to comply with the rule. In addition, monthly instruction will be given to keep personnel informed of this guideline. There are numerous reasons why one must sign the employment policy recognition form. This policy provides substantial advantages to the company and Java Corp personnel, making its signature imperative. The policy will first aid in maintaining workplace relationships and job functions. This is because all personnel will grow more compassionate towards one another due to their comprehension of situations that may cause harm. The second advantage is that it will aid in the organization’s effective case management. Individuals who initially assumed they could only lodge a grievance with their line manager would have access to additional channels for dispute management. Finally, it will aid in preventing more serious issues, such as legal repercussions for the company.
Conclusion
To safeguard workers and the business, it is clear as the new HR manager executive for Java Corp that the firm needs a formalized and specific harassment rule. The recent sexual discrimination lawsuit that resulted in substantial damages demonstrates the necessity of creating a regulation that explicitly specifies banned behavior, defines enforcement measures, preserves anonymity, and resolves retribution. It is essential to remember that the efficacy of an anti-harassment strategy in the company is contingent on its implementation. Thus, HR managers need a proactive methodology to staff development, immediately and effectively respond to concerns, and hold people accountable for their conduct. Establishing a new policy communicates unequivocally that misconduct will not be allowed and displays a dedication to fostering a sound and inclusive workplace.
References
Anjum, A., Ming, X., Siddiqi, A. F., & Rasool, S. F. (2018). An empirical study analyzing job productivity in toxic workplace environments. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 15(5), 1-15. Web.
Cassino, D., & Besen‐Cassino, Y. (2019). Race, threat and workplace sexual harassment: The dynamics of harassment in the United States, 1997–2016. Gender, Work & Organization, 26(9), 1221-1240. Web.
Gold, M. E. (2018). 1. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In Introduction to the Law of Employment Discrimination (pp. 1-37). Cornell University Press.
Nachmias, D., & Rosenbloom, D. H. (2018). Measuring bureaucratic representation and integration. In Diversity and Affirmative Action in Public Service (pp. 39-50). Routledge.
Pyke, K. D. (2018). Institutional betrayal: Inequity, discrimination, bullying, and retaliation in academia. Sociological Perspectives, 61(1), 5-13. Web.
Roscigno, V. J. (2019). Discrimination, sexual harassment, and the impact of workplace power. Socius, 5, 1-21. Web.
Sigursteinsdottir, H., & Karlsdottir, F. B. (2022). Does social support matter in the workplace? Social support, job satisfaction, bullying and harassment in the workplace during COVID-19. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(8), 1-14. Web.