Hrm Isms Answer Sheet

Case I

Meeting The Challenge of Sexual Harassment

1. Assume that you are an HR executive for a company that manufactures and sells agricultural products (for example, fertilizers and grain feeds). The company’s workforce of 1,200 employees is 70 percent male and 30 percent female. Drawing from this case and the chapter content, develop an anti-harassment policy and program. What are the major challenges you see in implementing the program?

Ans:-

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An internal complaint procedure that ensures fast action, confidentiality, and a reporting procedure that allows reporting to a manager who is not involved in the harassment

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Guidelines for handling and documenting harassment incidents.

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Speedy, corrective action that solves the problem.

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The policy itself should include (a) a definition of harassment, (b) the company’s position prohibiting harassment, (c) the grievance procedure, and (d) penalties.

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Communication procedures that will ensure that the policy is communicated to, and understood by, all employees.

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Anti-harassment training programs; what they will cover, who should attend, and whether or not they are mandatory

2. Many experts assert that reported cases of sexual harassment represent only a small percentage of the total number of incidents that actually occur in the workplace. If their assertion is true, why do so many cases go unreported? How would your HRM policy on harassment address this situation?

Although it is not discussed in the text, it is safe to assume that most incidents are not reported for one or more of these reasons:

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Fear of retaliation

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Potential job loss

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Fear of not being believed

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Belief that reporting the incident will not bring about change

The best way to address this situation is to acknowledge these fears in the anti-harassment policy and to stress that complaints will be taken seriously, that employees will not be fired for reporting an incident,...