Beyond Compliance: Are your sexual harassment prevention controls in place?

Risk management is not just looking at insurance rates or worker’s compensation statistics. It also includes proactive education and training, identifying expectations of behavior, and problem solving making use of policies that are understandable and effective. Even though a company has a written policy and does some type of training, it may not be enough to avoid legal liability.

The Supreme Court’s two-part test for liability consists of:

1) The employer must show that they took reasonable care to prevent and correct any sexual harassment behavior in the workplace.

2) The employer must show that the employee did not take advantage of any corrective or preventive opportunities provided by the employer. To meet the criteria, businesses need to create a culture that consistently addresses and reinforces values and also provides accessible avenues for reporting and resolution.

Here are ways that you can decrease your risk of sexual harassment in the workplace and provide evidence that your company is actively engaged in prevention and correction:

•Have an anti-sexual harassment policy and update it at least yearly. Distribute it to all employees, talk about it in staff meetings, and make it a part of employee orientation. Have employees sign that they understand the policy and have read and understand the policy. If you have employees who speak and read in other languages, make sure the translated policy is available to them.

•Conduct yearly prevention and education training that not only provides a description of behaviors and consequences, but allows participants to interact in activities, problem solve, role play and practice skills needed to express their concerns and avoid escalation.

•Provide choices to employees in how they want to report. Some companies have hotlines or a designated male and female person that is trained in being supportive and professional.

•Conduct yearly sexual harassment anonymous employee surveys with the current policy attached. What better way to gain feedback from your employees and get suggestions for improvement?

•Conduct specific educational sessions with managers and supervisors. They must understand their specific ethical and legal responsibility and be provided with the knowledge and tools to model respectful behavior, intervene quickly and prevent retaliation.

•Treat same sex reporting and male reporting the same as you would for a female employee.

•Reinforce the need to investigate and document any reports of sexual harassment or discrimination including the response to the complaint and any corrective action. Make sure that follow-up to reports is conducted to ensure that the outcome is satisfactory.

Companies and organizations that are actively engaged in a non tolerance policy of sexual harassment and discrimination not only create a foundation of limiting liability, but they model a value in their culture of respect for all employees.

Holly Seaton, Ph.D. Outside the Lines Consulting

To learn more about sexual harassment education and prevention training, establishing policy or conducting investigations, contact us at www.OTLConsulting.com or 707.933.0687 or email Holly at Holly@OTLconsulting.com

OTLConsulting.com is a wine & hospitality consulting company, based in Sonoma, CA and Seattle, WA.

Related Information of Interest:

Black Walnut Trees Produce A Natural Insecticide
The black walnut tree manufactures a substance that is a natural insecticide according to experts at the Texas State University in Austin.

American black walnut tress contain a tannic acid chemists call juglone. The reddish yellow substance leaches from leaves, and some believe exudes from roots, or transfers from branches and foliage to the roots. Tree physiologists agree that roots of other plants that come in contact with those black walnut tree roots die--even other black walnut seedlings.

Juglone is sometimes washed out of the still green walnuts during late summer or even autumn rains. The growth of plants 60 to 80 feet away are inhibited by the juglone. The substance affects plants of various families. Studies have found that tomatoes, alfalfa, potatoes, apples, blackberries, rhododendron, mountain laurel and pine trees are all affected.

According to a professor and extension forester at Iowa State University, juglone is known to repel various garden insects. Just by placing branches of the tree around the house and under furniture dog and cat owners are amazed to find that their pets have fewer fleas.

About Marilyn: Marilyn Pokorney is a freelance writer of science, nature, animals and the
environment. She also loves crafts, gardening, and reading. Website: www.apluswriting.net/

Kenny Rogers' Plastic Surgery
So who does not know Kenny Rogers? The man who made poker one of the most well known old west games with his soulful "The Gambler" song in the early 1980's. He has long been a staple of the country music scene even though he seems to be a bit behind the times when it comes to the pop music that now passes for country. This is nothing that surprises many as Rogers has been linked to a good many stars with his duets and such. Of course there is the matter that he has had several wives. He has many times confessed that he is incredibly hard to live with and can be a bad husband at times. So many people are now asking how he managed to get the new youthful look. Once he was the rugged looking type that made the songs he sang about the old west and such have some credibility but now that has all changed. There has been some Kenny Rogers' plastic surgery going on and that is no surprise to anyone in the scene.

Early in his career Rogers was often times teased about his weight. While he has never been what you would call fat, he has been heavy and sometimes looked a bit bloated. For this he enlisted some help to make himself more on the cutting edge of the new stars that were appearing. He managed to get his weight under control and that meant a lot of work but it has worked for him well. Then to add insult to injury he was becoming a bit old looking. The many lines around his eyes showed the signs of his lifestyle which sometimes mirrored the men in his songs. His constant on the go theme of life had finally caught up with him and there was little that he himself could do about it. The damage had been done and Kenny Rogers' plastic surgery seemed to be the only answer.

Kenny Rogers' plastic surgery seemed to be a disaster from the start. He went in to have some of the aging look taken care of and ended up looking horrible. This is one of the more sore spots for Rogers as he tells a good many reporters that this is not the way that he intended to look but that is what he got. He knows all to well that the skin around his eyes is pulled too tight and that his face looks like it may rip open. Even though his new wife tells him that he looks great, he knows better and is enlisting the help of a team of plastic surgeons to undo what has been done already.

About the author: Click here for information about green tea and health solutions.

Meet Brandon Routh: Superman Returns
When young Iowa-born actor Brandon Routh was cast by director Bryan Singer as Clark Kent and his alter-ego Superman in soon-to-be-released blockbuster Superman Returns, there was a fair degree of surprise in Hollywood. While Singer had suggested that he wanted an unknown actor to take Superman into the 21st century, few thought that he would opt for someone with no big screen experience, as Routh had previously only appeared in a number of TV shows such as Will & Grace.

However, Routh has taken up the mantle left by Christopher Reeve with gusto, suggesting that the role has a tremendous legacy that the young actor is proud to be a part of. And insiders feel that Routh has made the part his own with a performance of both strength and vulnerability.

Brandon Routh was born in Des Moines, Iowa on 9 October 1979. He grew up in Norwalk, Iowa and then attended the University of Iowa, starring in productions at the Norwalk Theater of Performing Arts as he began his acting career.

Brandon made the jump to professional acting in the series "Odd Man Out" (1999, ABC Television), before going on to guest star in the series "Gilmore Girls" (2000) and "Undressed" (1999).

Trivia

Aged 6, Brandon was so excited about watching “Superman”, dressed in his Superman pajamas, that he gave himself a migraine.

Brandon went to a Halloween party in 2003 as Clark Kent/Superman. He was awarded the film role one year later by Bryan Singer.

The 21st century Superman does not just care about America, even though he was raised in America, his love is American, and he works in an American newspaper. Brandon feels that Superman has to be universal.

Filmography

“Superman Returns” (2006)
“Karla” (2006)
"Oliver Beene" (2004) TV Episode
"Will & Grace" (2004) TV Episode
"Cold Case" (2003) TV Episode
"One Life to Live" (2001-2002)
"Gilmore Girls" (2001) TV Episode
"Undressed" (1999) TV Series
"Odd Man Out" (1999) TV Episode

Niall is a huge fan of the original Superman film, and is looking forward to the release of Superman Returns. For news and information about the new film visit his site at www.SupermanReturnsNews.com. All rights reserved. Copyright www.SupermanReturnsNews.com.

7 Winning Tips For Article Marketers
1. Follow up with your readers.

For example, you could offer a subscription to your ezine or
you could offer a free email course in your resource box.

2. Use lots of white space.

Increase your article's white space by going over it for
sentences you can shorten and also paragraphs you could
break up into two or three shorter paragraphs.

3. Use numbered lists.

Use your numbered lists to convey points in your articles or
your steps in your "how to" article.

Numbered lists can also be used to create the content of
your article, like I did with this simple list article.

4. Use the word "you" a lot in your articles.

Make your writing feel more personal by using the word you a
lot within your article.

That way your readers will feel like you are talking
directly to them and you'll be able to better draw them into
your article's content.

5. Write to one person.

Choose a person such as a friend or spouse to write your
article to.

By doing this, you will naturally use the word you a lot
within your article, and your readers will feel like you are
talking to them one to one.

6. Offer an article announcement list.

Keep people up to date on your latest articles by publishing
an email list that announces your new articles.

You could also announce your new articles by RSS to
publishers and webmasters that like your writing.

7. Let your affiliates use your articles to earn
commissions.

Make your articles available to your affiliates to publish
on their sites or in their ezines with their affiliate links
in your resource box.

You'll be able to successfully raise your profits by turning
your articles into an effective promotional tool for your
affiliates.

Ken runs the Net Pro Marketer where you'll find informative articles on business, marketing, and ezine publishing. Browse through the articles or submit your own at: www.netpromarketer.com