11,364.  That’s the number of new charges that were filed regarding Sexual Harassment with the EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) in 2011.  Of the 11,364 cases, 16.3% were filed by males. In 2011,the EEOC paid out $52.3 million is monetary benefits to claimants, and this number does not include awards provided through litigation.  
 

During the past year, the EEOC resolved 12,571 cases and settled 1,367 that reflected current as well as pending cases from previous years.  How did the cases last year resolve?  761 were found to be credible while 6,658 were closed citing no reasonable cause.  1,150 resolved their claims with benefits and 2,635 were closed by Administration. Conciliations, both successful and unsuccessful resulted in 761 of total claims.  In total, 205,996 cases have been filed since 1997. 
 

Keep in mind that these numbers only reflect cases that are filed with the EEOC.  There are thousands of situations that occur in which the victim does not report the incident nor feels safe in informing others of the occurrence.  Sexual Harassment is just one of the many forms of unwanted behaviors towards employees and in some cases employers.  It is also preventable. At StaffScapes, we encourage you to create a policy detailing a no tolerance stance on Sexual Harassment and indicate the consequence for this non-accepted behavior can and will include corrective action up to and including termination. We also recommend providing training sessions with all employees so they can better understand the policy and how Sexual Harassment is defined in the workplace.
 

Should an issue with Sexual Harassment lead to corrective action and or termination, StaffScapes has written a whitepaper to provide some direction.  Our “Avoiding a Termination Lawsuit whitepaper” can be a great resource to answer some general questions.  
 

To learn how this and other suggested and required policies can be implemented within your workplace as well as how StaffScapes can help you with your Human Resources, please call us at 303-466-7864 or info@StaffScapes.com.   StaffScapes is a Professional Employer Organization that has been serving small businesses since 1996 with all of their human resource and payroll requirements, including areas such as workplace safety, benefits, employee relations, payroll and workers’ compensation.