Maintaining high morale in the office is key for any employer in order for your business’s continued growth. Often though, employees feel they are mistreated or harassed. These situations can lead to lawsuits that can end up costing you and your business thousands of dollars. It is vital for every business owner to research and invest in an epli policy to cover any expenses or damages resulting from a harassment claim.
Wronged employees can file a claim for a variety of reasons, but the most popular of these is sexual harassment. Within this type of harassment, a multitude of different scenarios factor in. Listed below are the different types of sexual harassment that could happen at work:
Power-player – Legally termed “quid pro quo” harassment, these harassers insist on sexual favors in exchange for benefits they can dispense because of their positions in hierarchies.
One-of-the-Gang – Harassment occurs when groups of men or women embarrass others with lewd comments, physical evaluations, or other unwanted sexual attention.
Opportunist – Opportunist use physical settings and circumstances, or infrequently occurring opportunities, to mask premeditated or intentional sexual behavior towards targets
Confidante – Harassers of this type approach subordinates, or students, as equals or friends, sharing about their own life experiences and difficulties, sharing stories to win admiration and sympathy, and inviting subordinates to share theirs so as to make them feel valued and trusted.
Great Gallant – This mostly verbal harassment involves excessive compliments and personal comments that focus on appearance and gender, and are out of place or embarrassing to the recipient.
In the unfortunate event that an employee files a sexual harassment claim due to one of the above reasons, hopefully your business has the necessary epli in order to cover any expenses from a resulting trial. No firm wants to be hampered by a lawsuit that costs thousands of dollars. If your business is properly insured with epli coverage, then your company will maintain its stability even during a difficult situation.