Human Resources: Hostile Work Environment

The conversation with the female employee would first involve reassuring the employee that the company wants each employee to feel safe and they are working in an environment that is safe, secure, and free from any kind of harassment. Reassuring the employee will ensure that they are comfortable and they will understand that their issue will be handled within the stipulated company policies (Walker, 2018). I would request the employee to provide as much information as she can in regards to the various incidences where she felt she was being harassed by her male co-worker. I would ask her to describe the demeanor of the co-worker after she said no and their interaction at work after the incidence. It would be prudent of me to note down the important details like dates, location, witnesses, situations, and anything else that is relevant. The conversation should be objective and aimed at uncovering as much information as possible regarding the incidences and how the employee was treated after her refusal. I will inform the employee to immediately report any retaliation or further harassment she might experience.

For the male co-worker, the first thing I would do is to let them know that a complaint has been made and that the company will not tolerate any acts of retaliation. I would aim to establish to know if the male co-worker is aware of what a hostile work environment means. Since their interpretation might be different from what was intended it is vital that I let them know that what he has been doing is making their female co-worker uncomfortable and her work is suffering. The main goal of this conversation would be to inform the male employee that female employees might feel threatened when they make numerous advances to them and this might affect their working relationship. The male employee should also be made aware of the company’s policy on harassment and hostile work environment.

References

Walker, S. Y. (2018). Workplace issues: Am I in a hostile work environment? Teaching and Learning in Nursing, 13(2), 95-96.