*This information is current as of July 28*

There are new faces working in the hospitality industry, so many members are spending a lot of time on training. Don’t forget to talk about harassment prevention. It’s important to know that sexual harassment is never okay in the workplace.

Employers need to adopt strong workplace policies that stop sexual harassment before it starts. Employers also have a duty to investigate complaints and other suspicions of sexual harassment that emerge.

Over the years, the Washington Hospitality Association has posted a lot of information on this very subject. Here’s a rundown of resources for you to look over so you can help stop sexual harassment before it begins and know what to do if it does.

How to handle harassment accusations in the workplace

In one of our most-watched videos on our YouTube channel, HR Manager Lisa Kaminsky of Personnel Management Systems discusses what to do if one of your employees reports they’ve been harassed in the workplace.

Isolated workers and the law

Your government affairs team was instrumental in helping to pass legislation in 2019 that requires all employers in the hotel, motel, retail, property services or a security guard service to provide panic buttons, adopt a sexual harassment policy and provide anti-harassment training to the employers’ managers, supervisors and employees. This law went into effect in Jan. 2020.

Nine ways restaurants can fight harassment in the #MeToo world
(This article originally appeared on foodnewsfeed.com by Laura Zolman Kirk)

After the shock and gut-wrenching details of #MeToo story after #MeToo story, the restaurant industry is left asking what it means to have a positive, supportive work environment. How can restaurants and brands move forward, in the #MeToo era to create a better environment in its wake?

Getting a handle on harassment: 3 leaders lay out the best tips

The pervasiveness of sexual and other types of harassment in all work environments has perhaps never been such a hot-button issue than it is today. That fact, and the devastating effects such abuse can have on people and businesses, absolutely demands that brands be up to the second on their training, prevention efforts and overall culture around this critical subject. Read more from QSRWeb.com.

ServSafe Workplace: Sexual harassment prevention for restaurant and hospitality employees

Sexual harassment can be a hazard in foodservice and hospitality workplaces. Companies can build a safe work environment for all when employees know their rights and responsibilities. Register today for these free training sessions.

National Sexual Violence Resource Center

The National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC) is the leading nonprofit in providing information and tools to prevent and respond to sexual violence. NSVRC translates research and trends into best practices that help individuals, communities and service providers achieve real and lasting change. NSVRC has published several relevant resources, including tip sheets on: Workplace Sexual Harassment and Bystander Intervention Tips & Strategies.

Ignorance is not bliss: Proactive approaches to address sex-based harassment
By Catharine Morisset & Meg Burnham, Fisher Phillips

Over the past 20 years, sex-based workplace discrimination charges have been one of the most common employee-asserted claims before the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) — second only to race. As the EEOC states in its 2016 Task Force Report on Harassment in the Workplace, “Employers should care about preventing harassment because it is the right thing to do.” The EEOC also points out that stopping illegal harassment is an employer’s legal duty. Read more.

Building a culture to prevent harassment
From the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission 

The EEOC Select Task Force on the Study of Harassment in the Workplace recommends that employers create a holistic non-harassment culture that includes a commitment from top leadership, accountability at all levels and new approaches to training, among other elements. Read more.

Training from American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute and the National Restaurant Association

Click here to find training in English and Spanish for hospitality managers and employees. The subjects include “Understanding unconscious bias” and “Sexual harassment prevention.”