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Sexual Harassment...
Step Forward: Sexual Harassment in the Workplace

Step Forward: Sexual Harassment in the Workplace is a book that every employee should have in hand. It is a practical, no-nonsense guide to what sexual harassment is and what every manager, supervisor, and employee should do about it. Companies will learn about limiting liability, training guidelines, and future trends. Managers and supervisors will learn a six-step program on how to stop sexual harassment, the 10 factors for assessing the incident, and pointers on how to conduct an investigation. Employees will learn 25 things to do if sexual harassment happens to them. 2nd Edition, 1998.

Table of Contents:

Preface and Introductions
Chapter 1 - The History of Sexual Harassment: How We Got to This Point
Chapter 2 - Defining and Understanding Sexual Harassment
Chapter 3 - Six Simple Steps to Stop Sexual Harassment
Chapter 4 - How to Handle Sexual Harassment Complaints
Chapter 5 - Training and Education: The Most Important Steps of All
Chapter 6 - The Most-Asked Questions
Chapter 7 - Steps Forward for All Employees
Chapter 8 - What the Future Holds
Chapter 9 - Food for Thought

EXCERPT: The punchline to the joke was when he grabbed her crotch. And when he delivered the punch line, she lost control. She got hysterical and started crying and sobbing and nobody could get her to stop. They finally had to call her husband to come to work and try to calm her down. When they told him what had happened, he didn't think the joke was very funny either.

This case ended up in court. The grabber was a leadman, a first level supervisor, and the woman was a journeyman electrician. The jury awarded the woman $265,000 for the two years of harassment she had endured, even though she and her attorney only hoped to win around $100,000. Two of the young men on the jury were so angry they wanted to give the woman a million dollars.

The problems the company had in understanding and dealing with sexual harassment became more and more apparent during the trial. It looked as if they had made only a half-hearted attempt to do anything at all about the harassment that they knew was taking place. The jury believed the woman's allegation--that her employer was liable because it failed to maintain a work environment free of sexually harassing conduct and comments, and to that extent the environment was unsafe and hostile toward women.

The testimony given indicated that management did not take a strong stance against harassment, that their policy statement and procedures for handling complaints were weak, that sexual harassment training was insufficient and ineffectual, and that little or no follow-up was made on specific complaints or on the sexual harassment problem in general. This case is a perfect example of what a company should not do. Those companies and organizations that successfully stop or prevent sexual harassment in their workplaces have comprehensive programs in place that include six primary elements. When you see a serious sexual harassment complaint, like the one described above, you can be fairly certain that one or more of these elements is missing: (1) top management support, (2) a written, posted policy statement, (3) procedures for getting and handling complaints, (4) actual handling of complaints, (5) training for all employees, and (6) follow-through.

REVIEWS:

Webb is a leading authority on sexual harassment. CBS Evening News

Thanks for putting a very important issue into perspective. CNN

Webb's first book was one of the hot books in America...may be one of the great values ever. Boy, the Time magazine write-up was a rave and encouraged everyone to get this book. Larry King on Larry King Live

Webb's book is refreshingly free of ideology and reproach...crisp and logical...an accessible sort of Cliff's notes that will have special appeal...the great mass of confused by-standers will find Step Forward informative. Time Magazine

A specialist in the area of sexual harassment offers an easy-to-follow guide to the prevention and treatment of sexual harassment in the workplace, answering questions about what constitutes harassment and specific actions a company should take.

ISBN: 1571010750, 119 pages, paperback, $12.95 (Available through Amazon.com)

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