Reaching a Conclusion

The purpose of reaching a conclusion is to decide if the alleged harasser has indeed violated your company's sexual harassment policies.

Use your company's policy as guidance. Do not concern yourself with the laws on the issue: these laws can be tricky and are necessary only if your case goes to court.

Your conclusions will be one of the following:

• The alleged harasser violated your company's policy on sexual harassment
• The alleged harasser did not violate your company's policy on sexual harassment
• You cannot reach a conclusion based on the facts

Note that the conclusion should not directly state that laws have been violated. This is for lawyers to state. This is out of the jurisdiction of the investigator's duties, even when the investigator is a licensed lawyer.

If the complaint concludes with a determination that the alleged harasser violated the company's policy, it is important that you take immediate action to correct this action. Remember, you must legally:

• Swiftly correct any harassing behavior
• Take immediate and effective steps to ensure this behavior does not happen again
• Take remedial measures to help correct the effects of harassment

You need not wait for the written report to take action. You can deliver your corrections verbally in order to save time.

To learn more about Sexual Harassment Prevention Training For Supervisors visit our Cal/OSHA Sexual Harassment Prevention Training For Supervisors Online Training web page.