Workplace Harassment & Ethics · Module 1
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Ethics & Culture Series

Building a Respectful and Accountable Workplace

Understanding harassment, discrimination, and your responsibility to maintain a safe environment

⏱️ 8 min 📊 7 Screens 🎓 1 CEU
✓

Learning Objectives

By the end of this module, you will be able to:

1
Define Harassment and Recognize Different Forms
2
Evaluate Real-World Workplace Scenarios
3
Navigate the Reporting and Investigation Process

Key Legal Definitions

Harassment takes multiple forms. Understanding the legal definitions helps you identify violations:

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act prohibits harassment based on protected characteristics.
Type: Quid Pro Quo
Quid Pro Quo Harassment
Employment decisions (promotion, compensation) conditioned on tolerating unwelcome conduct. Supervisor creates explicit or implicit quid pro quo arrangement.
Type: Environmental
Hostile Work Environment
Pervasive unwelcome conduct based on protected characteristics that unreasonably interferes with work performance. Includes slurs, jokes, intimidation, or offensive materials.
Type: Retaliation
Retaliation for Reporting
Adverse employment actions taken against employees for reporting harassment or participating in investigations. This is a separate violation even if the original complaint was unfounded.

Scenario Analysis

During a team lunch, a colleague tells an offensive ethnic joke. Several people laugh, but a team member from that ethnicity looks uncomfortable and doesn't respond. What are the appropriate responses from people who heard it?
NOT APPROPRIATE
Colleague A: Laughs along and doesn't address it
Ignoring offensive behavior enables it and leaves the target feeling unsupported. Bystanders play a critical role in shifting culture by not tolerating harassment.
APPROPRIATE
Colleague B: Says "That's not okay" and checks in with the affected team member privately later
Supporting the target and making it clear the behavior isn't acceptable shows courage and helps create a respectful culture. Direct, timely action matters.
NOT APPROPRIATE
Supervisor: Handles it informally by asking the joker to "be more careful next time"
Informal handling without documentation or clear consequences fails to send the message that harassment is taken seriously. Formal investigation is required for policy violations.
APPROPRIATE
Affected Team Member: Documents the incident and reports it to HR or the Ethics Hotline
Formal reporting ensures documentation, investigation, and appropriate corrective action. It also creates a record that protects you from retaliation.

Reporting & Investigation

If you experience or witness harassment, here's what happens:

Your confidentiality is protected to the extent allowed by law. Retaliation for reporting is illegal.
1
Document Everything

Record dates, times, locations, people involved, and what was said or done. Keep copies of relevant communications.

2
Choose Your Reporting Channel

Report to HR, your manager, your manager's manager, or the Ethics Hotline. Pick whichever channel you're most comfortable with.

3
Participate in Investigation

HR will conduct a thorough, impartial investigation. Cooperate fully and answer questions honestly. This protects everyone.

4
Know Your Protections

You cannot be retaliated against for reporting in good faith. Document any retaliation and report it immediately.

Knowledge Check

Three weeks after you file a complaint about harassment, your team lead reassigns you to the night shift, gives you negative feedback (you previously received "exceeds expectations"), and excludes you from team meetings. What is this?
✓

Module Complete

You've successfully completed Workplace Harassment & Ethics · Module 1

✓ You're Not Alone
✓ Bystanders Matter
✓ Document Early & Often
✓ Retaliation Is Separate