Workplace Harassment - Is It Humor or Really Harassment?
Duration: 90 minutes
Speaker: Teri Morning
Webinar Description
We generally associate workplace harassment with events such as a supervisor seeking sexual favors from a subordinate. However, many lesser but still serious workplace harassment complaints have been made due to misguided, misinterpreted or meanspirited remarks. Any seasoned HR person will tell you the bulk of their employee relations complaints start with remarks that people often claimed as being an attempt at “humor.”
Sometimes it is clear what is “over the line.” Other times it can be hard to determine whether what was presented as fun was merely a tone-deaf attempt at humor or was meant as a derogatory comment cloaked under the guise of humor.
A key determinant of whether workplace harassment occurred is that the conduct must be unwelcome. Welcome vs unwelcome conduct encompasses so many nuances as to be almost infinite. The conduct that is otherwise welcome between some employees is out of the question when it affects other employees.
What your company must do is to create policies and procedures regarding acceptable workplace conduct, communicate those polices, train your workforce and enforce the polices vigorously. Create a self-regulating culture where good natured, kind humor is always welcome, but derogatory, mean spirited so called humor is never welcome and employees know the difference between the two.
Agenda
- What your policies on “humor” should contain
- How to communicate those policies to your workforce.
- The role and responsibility of leaders in creating a respectful workplace.
- Determining accountability regarding so called humorous remarks.
- How discussing “current big events” can bring big trouble. Putting on the breaks.
- What to do when welcomed personal conversations/conduct between employees offend bystanders who find the conduct offensive.
- What to do with the “diversity dinosaur.”
- How to handle the person whose conduct actually worsens after counselling.
- Tips for investigating employee complaints of harassing remarks.
- How to respond to,
- That’s just how I am!
- It’s part of my culture!
- She or he is oversensitive!
- I didn’t mean to offend!
- She or he took it the wrong way!
- I was making fun of myself, and he or she is not even ____!
- I was just discussing current newsworthy events!
- He or she or my boss is much worse, let me tell you about what he or she does!
CONTINUING EDUCATION
Continuing HRCI Credit Information
This program has been pre-approved for 1.5 hours of General recertification credit hours through the HR Certification Institute. Use of the seal is not an endorsement by the HR Certification Institute of the quality of the program. It means that this program has met the HR Certification Institute's criteria to be pre-approved for recertification credit.
Continuing SHRM Credit
Park Avenue Presentations is recognized by SHRM to offer Professional Development Credits (PDCs) for the SHRM-CPSM or SHRM-SCPSM. This program is valid for 1.5 PDCs for the SHRM-CPSM or SHRM-SCPSM. For more information about certification or recertification, please visit www.shrmcertification.org.
Logistics
- 90 minutes (Travel Free) delivered over the Internet.
- Unlimited listeners per connection - bring the entire department.
- Q&A session with the expert.
This event will be presented live with a PowerPoint presentation to be viewed on your computer. You may listen to the audio of the webinar by telephone or through your computer. The PowerPoint slides will be provided shortly before the event. Once you register, you will receive an email which is your receipt and which includes your instructions for dialing in and logging on. You will also receive an email reminder 24 hours before the webinar.