So a jury found that Isiah Thomas, the Knicks coach, sexually harassed a former senior vice president. And it says that team owner Madison Square Garden and its chairman James Dolan should pay $11.6 million for the misdeeds. In the wake of that verdict, Lois Carter Schlissel, managing attorney of Meyer, Suozzi, English & Klein in Garden City, warns employers to sharpen their policies and practices against sexual harassment. Here are her suggestions.
1. Employers should have a written anti-sexual harassment policy.
2. Employees, particularly, managers and supervisors, should receive annual training on how to recognize and deal with sexual harassment.
3. Claims should be investigated promptly and thoroughly with the assistance of experienced counsel.
4. The alleged harasser and the victim should be separated during the investigation so they do not have to interact with each other to fulfill their job responsibilities.
5. If the investigation shows that sexual harassment occurred, the company should take action to ensure the harassment stops. This could include such measures as a warning, suspension, moving the harasser to another location or termination. The action taken should be commensurate with the facts and severity of the situation.
6. The situation should then be monitored to make certain that the any action taken was effective.
For information on what constitutes sexual harassment go to:
http://www.eeoc.gov/types/sexual_harassment.html
--Carrie Mason-Draffen