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From a legal standpoint, you need do nothing. He is not in any position to commit quid pro quo harassment. So far, there is no evidence of hostile workplace.
by logfromblammo 11y ago
From a legal standpoint, you need do nothing. He is not in any position to commit quid pro quo harassment. So far, there is no evidence of hostile workplace.
What your female employee has done is to cover her own ass in case the new male employee engages in any work-inappropriate behavior. If she comes to you again, and claims harassment, you are primed to believe her immediately and take immediate, appropriate action at that time.
Don't fire him. Don't kick his ass. Don't have a meeting with HR. Write down, "Ms. Y stated on [datetime] that Mr. X propositioned Y to upgrade beyond a work-only relationship, and Y declined. Y presented sufficient evidence to substantiate this claim." Attach a copy to both of their personnel files.
In two weeks, six weeks, and twelve weeks, proactively hold 1-on-1 meetings with all your employees, including Mr. X, and ask them if they feel as though Mr. X is assimilating well into the workplace. If no one has any complaints, even after you go fishing for them, there is no evidence of hostile workplace, and you have no further business with your employees' personal relationships.
It isn't your business to manage your employees' personal lives. It is your business to provide them with a safe, cordial, and productive work environment. It isn't your business to remediate unsavory bro-havior. I don't like how sales and biz dev tend to work in the real world, but I know that sometimes that kind of behavior is beneficial to a business. I just don't hang out with that sort of people in a social context. I prefer that their oily schmoozing be directed at potential customers, and I'm sure they prefer that I not ruin their good time with my dry-toast nerdity.
Personally, though, I would question the judgment of a biz dev employee whose first act in a new camp is to dig his latrine next to the watering hole. Aren't they supposed to cultivate new business relationships outside the company?
- NateDad 11y agoIt's not their personal lives. It was in work time, initiated through work channels. And even if it was at a bar after work, it would still be rude and indicative of the kind of personality you don't want at your company. Waiting for him to slip up and hoping someone will report it is a horrible solution. It's not like he said "hey nice haircut" and it was taken the wrong way. He called her a milf. There's no ambiguity. Fire him.
- logfromblammo 11y agoI completely disagree. OP stated this communication took place during the weekend, via Whatsapp, rather than Slack. Clearly, this was personal business, through personal channels, on personal time. If it was at a bar after work, there would be no reason for us to know about it other than the suspicion that it might later spill over into work matters. Zero tolerance is a horrible way to run anything, not just a business. It is true that "at will" employment means you can be fired at any time, for any reason, or no reason at all, but if you choose to run your business that way, do not be surprised when otherwise disassociated people abandon ship. If I worked at this company and discovered that a co-worker had been fired on a justification this flimsy, I would be job hunting again at 5:01 PM that very day. Firing is an extremely disproportionate response to making a failed proposition to a co-worker on personal time, through personal channels. As immediate termination seems to be a somewhat popular response here, I just have to say "What the Hell is wrong with you people?" You are now building the world you will have to live in later. I hope you appreciate the irony when popular sentiments change and your livelihood is subsequently threatened because your lifestyle and opinions are now unpopular. You are, in all seriousness, advocating loss of employment and potentially long-lasting career damage as extrajudicial punishment for the heinous crime of privately sending inappropriate text messages.
- rhino369 11y ago>So far, there is no evidence of hostile workplace. Other than the fact a female employee just told him about hostile comments? I agree that it's probably not a hostile workplace YET, but it could quickly become that. And since he's aware of it, he'll be liable for future conduct of the male.