Is There Always a Good Answer?

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The page below is a sample from the LabCE course Preventing and Addressing Harassment and Discrimination in the Workplace (Supervisory-version). Access the complete course and earn ASCLS P.A.C.E.-approved continuing education credits by subscribing online.

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Is There Always a Good Answer?

In workplace training courses, it’s easy to find an acceptable solution, fire an imaginary employee, or ignore a hypothetical customer’s complaints. In the real world, it’s much more complicated. There are gray areas, people you don’t want to offend, toes you don’t want to step on, and trouble you’d rather not stir up.
But you have an obligation to speak up. It’s your legal and ethical duty to uphold federal and state law, provide a comfortable working environment for everyone, and ensure that you and your company don’t engage in or enable harassing or discriminating behavior.
So, what can you do?
Help develop policies for your facility and follow them. Having a written policy that is always followed helps to demonstrate that you are acting consistently in all situations, regardless of the employee.
If in doubt, ask. Your supervisors, HR department, legal department, and even your state’s department of labor or employment can provide guidance on your policies and procedure and help amend them if they prove to be inadequate. Involving more people in the decision process within the limits of confidentiality helps ensure that you are acting in accordance with the law and within the bounds of professional ethics.