M7A2: Web Exercise: Sexual Harassment Training

There are four Web exercises in this course, each requiring you to submit a paper. You are asked to either visit a website that is listed or select one and answer specific questions given in the instructions.

Web Exercise #4 is due at the end of Module 7 and deals with the effectiveness of an organization’s sexual harassment training. Follow the instructions given below to complete the exercise.

Select a business, and visit its homepage.
Locate and review information on its published sexual harassment policy. (It may prove useful to search for corporate sexual harassment policies in general to more efficiently locate companies that have posted their sexual harassment policy on their websites).
Prepare a paper based on the following structure and content:
Title page and table of contents
An introduction that identifies the company you have selected. Provide a brief overview of its sexual harassment policy.
What topics are covered?
Was the policy easy to locate?
A background section that briefly discusses whether or not its sexual harassment policy is part of a wider harassment policy (for example, workplace civility policy that extends beyond the topic of sexual harassment). Also, conduct a brief search on the internet to determine whether the company has had problems with sexual harassment in the past or has current cases pending against it.
Has the company been discussed in the media as having claims made against them for sexual harassment?
An analysis that uses course material and outside research to evaluate the company’s sexual harassment program. This program includes a well-written policy that is communicated (through postings and training) and enforced.

For example, under the section on Careers, Citgo has chosen to post its sexual harassment policy. It is a concise statement, but it does not clearly define what sexual harassment is. The policy describes quid pro quo and hostile environment, but it doesn’t use these terms. It does include a list of behaviors that will not be tolerated and includes a list of the types of individuals to which the policy pertains (subordinates, supervisors, customers, and suppliers). It prohibits intimate relationships between supervisors and employees (workplace romance) and directs employees where to go to file a claim. While it does state that the investigation will be confidential, it does not include an anti-retaliation statement. The policy does not specify whether training is part of its sexual harassment program.

To be an effective policy, it should include the following:
A clear definition of what sexual harassment is (the types)
Behaviors that will not be tolerated
Who the policy covers
Where an employee should go to report a claim
What happens during an investigation
The responsibilities of the company and any individuals involved in an investigation
The company’s stance on retaliation
The policy should also mention efforts the company takes to ensure that each stakeholder to this issue understands the policy and takes it seriously (for example, periodic training of supervisors and employees as well as posting the policy for others to see).

A conclusion that summarizes the main points of your findings and reflects on the company’s effectiveness in addressing the issue of sexual harassment
A reference section that lists the website, the course material, and any other outside resources you used in preparing this assignment. Be sure to cite sources within your paper, using correct APA formatting.

Your work should be submitted in a Word document, 2–3 pages in length (excluding the title, the table of contents and the references pages), typed double-space in 10- or 12-point Arial or Times New Roman font. The page margins on the top, bottom, left side, and right side should be 1 inch each. Use APA guidelines for citing and reference sources.

See the Course Calendar for due dates.

Keep the following points in mind:

The sexual harassment policy has been thoroughly analyzed and all aspects have been considered.
Relevant concepts from the readings and external research have been incorporated in the analy

Compose your work in a .doc or .docx file type using a word processor (such as Microsoft Word, etc.) and save it frequently to your computer. For those assignments that are not written essays and require uploading images or PowerPoint slides, please follow uploading guidelines provided by your instructor.

Check your work and correct any spelling or grammatical errors. When you are ready to submit your work, click “Upload Submission.” Enter the submission title and then click on “Select a file to upload.” Browse your computer, and select your file. Click “Open” and verify the correct file name has appeared next to Submission File. Click on “Continue.” Confirm submission is correct and then click on “Accept Submission & Save.”

Turnitin®

This course has Turnitin® fully integrated into the course dropbox. This means that you should only submit your assignments to the dropbox below. Please do not submit your assignment directly to Turnitin.com.

Once submitted, your assignment will be evaluated by Turnitin® automatically. You will be able to view an Originality Report within minutes of your first submission that will show how much of your work has been identified as similar to other sources such as websites, textbooks, or other student papers. Use your Originality Report as a learning tool to identify areas of your assignment that you may not have cited appropriately. You may resubmit your assignment through this dropbox as many times as you need to check to see if you have made improvements, until the due date of the assignment. However, once you have made your first submission, you will need to wait 24 hours after each subsequent submission to receive a new Originality Report. Plan accordingly as you draft your assignment. Once the due date has passed, your assignment submission will be considered final.

Evaluation

This assignment will be graded using the SBT Web Exercise Grading Rubric located on the Course Rubrics page within the Start Here section of the course. Please review the rubric prior to beginning your work so that you ensure your submission meets the criteria in place for this assignment. Collectively, these assignments are worth 10% of your final course grade.

Expert Answer

Sexual Harassment Training

Table of Contents

Introduction. 3

Coca-Cola HBC Sexual Harassment Policy. 3

Conclusion. 4

References. 6

Introduction

The Coca-Cola HBC (Coca‑Cola Hellenic Bottling Company) is one of the several bottling partners of The Coca‑Cola Company (Coca-Cola Hellenic at a glance, n.d.), the world’s largest beverages company. The Coca‑Cola Company produces and sells beverage concentrates, bases and syrups to the various bottling partners, including the Coca-Cola HBC. The Coca-Cola HBC uses the syrups and concentrates in the manufacture, packaging, merchandising, and distribution of the final Coca-Cola branded beverage products to the various trade partners and end consumers (Coca-Cola Hellenic at a glance, n.d.). The Coca-Cola HBC is one of the largest bottlers in the world. The company lays out its sexual harassment policy in unison with the non-discrimination or diversity policy on its official website, making sure that the policy is easy to locate and read. The policy posted on the website describes what sexual harassment is, the various actions that constitute sexual harassment, the individuals covered by the policy, how to raise complaints, and the sanctions imposed on those who violate the policy.

Coca-Cola HBC Sexual Harassment Policy

The company’s sexual harassment policy is part of the larger inclusion and diversity policy by the company. The policy begins with a statement of the anti-discrimination policies of the company and explains why the company does not discriminate against its employees “on the basis of age; disability; gender or gender reassignment; sex or sexual orientation; marital or civil partnership status; family status including pregnancy, maternity, or paternity; race including ethnic origin, nationality or color; religious, political or other beliefs; full-time or part-time status; or any other characteristic in respect of which legal protection is afforded by local law” (Inclusion and diversity policy, n.d.). The policy explains discrimination as “one of the above characteristics being a factor in someone not being treated as favourably as they would otherwise have been treated, even if that characteristic was not the only or the main factor related to the treatment” (Inclusion and diversity policy, n.d.).

The policy goes on to explain what sexual harassment is: “unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favours, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature when submission to or rejection of such conduct is used as the basis for employment decisions, or when such conduct has the purpose or effect of creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive working environment” (Inclusion and diversity policy, n.d.). The company’s policy also explains who is covered by the policy, stating that all employees of the company are subject to the policy. The process of making complaints is laid out: “Incidents of non-compliance with this policy or of any other conduct that affects inclusivity and diversity should ordinarily be reported to line managers in the first instance. Such incidents may alternatively be reported to a line manager’s line manager or to a member of Human Resources” (Inclusion and diversity policy, n.d.). There have not been any sexual harassment problems in the past, and the company has not been discussed in the media for any cases of sexual harassment.

Conclusion                                           

Coca-Cola HBC’s sexual harassment policy is very clearly explained on the website of the company, stating what counts as sexual harassment, how an employee can make a complaint, and the form of punishment that anyone who violates the policy will face: “We may commence disciplinary or other applicable proceedings under our Code of Business Conduct against any person who we consider may have breached this policy. Such proceedings may lead to the imposition of appropriate disciplinary sanctions up to and including dismissal” (Inclusion and diversity policy, n.d.). Since the company does not have any history of sexual harassment cases, I think that the sexual harassment policy is effective. However, the process of investigation of any claims made by an employee is not listed on the policy.

References

Coca-Cola Hellenic at a glance. (n.d.). Retrieved February 28, 2019, from https://coca-colahellenic.com/en/about-us/coca-cola-hbc-at-a-glance/

Inclusion and diversity policy. (n.d.). Retrieved February 28, 2019, from https://coca-colahellenic.com/en/about-us/policies/inclusion-and-diversity-policy/