EEOC Identifies Risk Factors For Workplace Harassment

Last month, the Select Task Force on the Study of Harassment in the Workplace issued a report. Among other things, it identified risk factors that can lead to harassment. They are:

1. Homogeneous workforces – In other words, those that lack diversity.
2. Workplaces where some workers don't conform to workplace norms – This would include, for example, a man who's perceived as overly feminine or a woman perceived as overly masculine.
3. Workplaces with cultural and language differences – So too much homogeneity can be a problem, but so can too much diversity. Got it!
4. "Coarsened Social Discourse Outside of the Workplace" – If people are crude outside of work, it's more likely to spill over to the work environment.