Establishing a Complaint Procedure

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. Do your best 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.