As a California employer, you’re obligated to provide proper training and equipment to keep your employees safe on the job. This may include a written program for injury and illness prevention. You must adhere to all health and safety standards set by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Maintaining a safe work environment also includes helping employees avoid hostility in the workplace.
There are several things you can do to create a positive and inclusive workspace for your employees. While there is no guarantee that implementing these tips will prevent a hostile work environment 100% of the time, it can reduce the risk. Preventing a hostile work environment should always be a top priority to avoid accusations of employer negligence.
Employment law tips to help create a peaceful work environment
While you cannot control another person’s behavior, you can set a tone and example to help your employees prevent hostility in the workplace. Consider implementing these ideas:
- Provide employees with written literature and training that clearly defines “hostility” in the workplace.
- Enforce policies against hostility and discrimination.
- Assure your workers that they can (and should) report all incidents of hostility or discrimination, and that their report will remain private.
- Respond to all complaints or reports in a timely and thorough manner.
- Take disciplinary action when evidence of hostility or discrimination exists.
Many employers have gone the extra mile to prevent a hostile work environment by issuing wireless devices that their employees can use to signal for help if they feel threatened or unsafe in the workplace.
Sweeping it under the rug is the biggest mistake you can make
As a California employer, you must take every report or complaint of hostility or discrimination in the workplace seriously. The worst thing you can do is to do nothing. If an employee files a complaint, and you do not investigate the situation, you could wind up facing a lawsuit. Then again, you might do everything in your power to prevent workplace hostility and still face litigation, which is why you need to understand how to defend your rights in an employment law case.
A hostile work environment can cause serious mental and physical health issues for an employee. This, in turn, can affect your company’s bottom line, especially if a worker keeps taking time off or becomes unproductive due to stress and anxiety on the job. The key to avoiding such problems is to create as positive of an environment as possible and to know where to seek support if implicated in a hostile work environment lawsuit.
