Sexual Harassment: What To Do When It Happens at Your Home Cleaning Company

Sexual harassment has typically not had a lot of attention paid to it in the media unless it involves well-known company leaders, politicians or celebrities. Even when big names like Bill Clinton, Roger Ailes, Bill O'Reilly and even Presidential candidate Donald Trump garnered the attention, the stories eventually passed and we all went on with our lives.

This time it's different - starting with the Harvey Weinstein allegations. Suddenly there was a ripple effect; women were posting #metoo all over social media and many others started coming forward with more allegations involving well-known people.

The deeper discussions have finally started and as a country, we're figuring out where to go from here. This brings me to you, the cleaning business owner.

Many business owners run their business for years, giving little attention to their sexual harassment policy. In fact many simply go out and get boiler plate text to use in their company handbook, and that's pretty much where the discussion ends.

It's time to stop and consider - what would happen if one of my employees came to me with an allegation that she (or he) was sexually harassed by a fellow employee, supervisor or perhaps even a customer? What would I say? What questions would I ask? How would I even begin to investigate?

Watch the Video to Learn More About Sexual Harassment in the Workplace

Realize that sexual harassment isn't about sex - it's about power and control. It's a way to dominate someone or put them down, using sex as the way to accomplish their goal.

Most people think there is a clear line that is crossed when it happens. But most of the time it lands in a gray area, or it starts with what seems to be an innocent or accidental touch - something you wouldn't go to your boss with unless it escalated into something much more unacceptable.

Even when the harassment it blatant, many victims are hesitant to report it for fear of retaliation. But now in the wake of so much publicity surrounding the topic, more and more women and men are coming forward with their stories. And many of the "observers" of the harassment are no longer staying silent, they are supporting their co-workers allegations. If you've ever observed sexual harassment in the workplace and stayed silent about it, you are involved so it is your duty to stand up for the target of the harassment and share your observations.

Stop sexual harassment in your home cleaning company or nip it in the bud before a problem arises.

Don't ignore or turn a blind eye to any kind of harassment or unfavorable behavior. This includes swearing, telling lewd jokes and inappropriate touching. Think about your company culture. Is this kind of behavior accepted? Is it already a part of your culture? Ignoring it and not reinforcing your business culture will negatively impact your business.

Your best bet is to assume you will have an instance of sexual harassment in the near future and to have a plan in place on how to deal with it. Don't put it off any longer - take a step in the right direction today.

How can you learn more about sexual harassment and how to handle it in your company?

Join Premium Membership at MyHouseCleaningBiz.com and gain access to professional online video training, which includes sexual harassment training. Here are some sample titles:

• Understanding Harassment: Keeping Your Workplace Free of Harassment (Video Series)
• Responding to Sexual Harassment
• Handling a Sexual Harassment Investigation
• Stop Sexual Harassment Now: A Quick Quiz
• The Psychology of Sexual Harassment
• Preventing Sexual Harassment (for Managers and Supervisors)
• Harassment Hurts: It's Personal
• Diffucult Conversations - Addressing Sexual Harassment Concerns
• Writing and Communicating a Sexual Harassment Policy
• Preventing Sexual Harassment (a video to show employees)
  Upon completion of this video, employees should be able to:
     * Know what constitutes sexual harassment.
     * Be able to recognize victims and harassers.
     * Know how to avoid "accidental" harassment.
     * Know how to handle a sexual harassment incident.
     * Know the correct procedures to follow to report an incident of sexual harassment.