Legal, Safety, and Regulatory Requirements

Legal, Safety, and Regulatory Requirements
Jenny Cook
HCS 341
October 3rd, 2011
Joanne Kronstedt

Legal, Safety, and Regulatory Requirements
Major Points
The article made three major points in regards to a complaint of unacceptable behavior (sexual harassment):
  1. After discovering a problem exists and a solution to that problem it is important to prevent it. As stated in the article, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Employers will have a complex, costly, and less proficient workplace if they do not spend the time to create preventative measures and abide by the Equal Employment Opportunity laws.
  2. Sexual harassment cannot be ignored in the workplace. According the article, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has reported that the number of complaints has declined for six straight years. Mostly because companies are fixing the problems before they become lawsuits. It is stressed that it is an employer’s responsibility and legal obligation to keep such violations out of the workplace.
  3. In addition to putting proper policies and procedures in place, orientation and continuous periodic training are the best ways to prevent litigation problems from occurring. The article also points out that adopting a sexual harassment policy and monitoring workplace may not be the only viable solutions when it comes to sexual harassment. Training supervisors and managers, as well as employees, is the major step in preventing sexual harassment, and that periodic training, which is actually the law in some states, is required besides the original orientation.
Methodology and Epistemology
The article was well thought out and written in terms of defining sexual harassment, explaining the legal issues involved, and describing what needs to be done to prevent it from happening in a workplace. The fact that it did not give a clear cut case of sexual harassment gives the reader an opportunity to understand what defines sexual harassment,...