Consider Extra Harassment Training Before Hiring Teens

Summer is upon us, and that means an influx of seasonal teen workers at many workplaces throughout the state. You may have already looked into the special safety rules for these workers, as well as the restrictions on the hours they can work, but there’s another key issue you may not have considered: sexual harassment.

Supervisors May Be Young and Inexperienced

One of the challenges in dealing with harassment of teen workers is that the supervisory employees may be young, inexperienced workers themselves. They may not understand what behaviors of theirs could be considered harassment, and may not know how to respond properly when they observe harassment or receive a harassment complaint.

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Harassment prevention training will help all inexperi

enced teen workers understand the kinds of behavior that are unacceptable and inappropriate in the workplace. They will be more likely to recognize harassment and report incidents, and less likely to engage in harassment themselves.

Smart suggestions from the EEOC

• Encourage open, positive, and respectful interactions with young workers.
• Remember that awareness, through early education and communication, is the key to prevention.
• Establish a strong corporate policy for handling complaints.
• Provide alternate avenues to report complaints and identify appropriate staff to contact.
• Encourage young workers to come forward with concerns and protect employees who report problems or otherwise participate in EEO investigations from retaliation.

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• Post company policies on discrimination and complaint processing in visible locations, such as near the time clock or break area, or include the information in a young worker’s first paycheck.
• Clearly communicate, update, and reinforce discrimination policies and procedures in a language and manner young workers can understand.
• Provide early training to managers and employees, especially frontline supervisors.
• Consider hosting an information seminar for the parents or guardians of teens working for the organization.

Tomorrow, we’ll look into another area relating to harassment you may not have considered: Whether or not you should be concerned about possible off-site harassment of your female employees.

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