Harassment complaints are a serious matter. Be sure to keep the following
points in mind to appropriately address the claim:
Take every complaint seriously.
Investigate every complaint.
Try not to make credibility judgments based on the reputation of the
person complaining or the person accused of harassment. In a very small
business where you know all the employees quite well, this is difficult to
do. But try to remain objective, until your investigation of the complaint
is complete.
Don't assume that the person making the complaint is being oversensitive.
Don't leave it to the parties involved to work it out.
Remember that not all employees will label unwelcome conduct as
harassment. An employee might complain, for example, about
"unprofessional conduct" or "inappropriate behavior."
Ask the employee to describe the conduct more specifically.
The Business Tools area contains a set of
detailed guidelines for use in investigating a harassment
complaint.
