2018 witnessed the MeToo movement push sexual harassment claims to the forefront of societal and work place issues and the toppling of some high profile executives and celebrities.  However, while most incidents of sexual harassment are much more low profile, they still warrant the attention of management and human resources to conduct investigations and take appropriate actions.  New York is the first state to implement a sexual harassment law that takes effect October 9, 2018, and required all companies to implement a sexual harassment policy, distribute the policy to all employees and then provide annual training on the subject to all employee.  More states are sure to follow and at some point there may be federal regulations implemented.

Small businesses often do not have a human resources department and the owner, while a specialist in running his business often has no background in these types of human resource issues.  So what are they to do when a female employee repots unwanted sexual advances and touching from their supervisor, yet the supervisor denies it and there are no witnesses?  Or when your top salesman continuously makes inappropriate comments about women’s bodies, tells explicit stories and jokes and shares that women are better suited to staying home than working?  “Boys will be boys” is no longer an acceptable approach to these issues, not that it ever was.

Total Team Solutions is a full service human resource outsourcing company that provides services to meet this growing need of small businesses.  We can implement policies, conduct training and when issues do arise we have the expertise to conduct appropriate investigations and propose action plans to resolve the issues and prevent lawsuits that can not only be costly, but also negative impact your business via the media. 

For more information on how Total Team Solutions can help your small business successfully grow while navigating complex employee regulations and behavior issues, contact John Morlock at 800-836-9678, ext. 5, or email at jmorlock@ttspro.com.