Corporate culture directly influences behaviors, interactions, and reactions to sensitive situations. A healthy work environment is built on clear, shared values that are lived day to day.
When these values are integrated into the organizational culture, employees feel more comfortable speaking up, intervening, and reporting concerning situations, thus actively contributing to harassment prevention.
Regardless of their hierarchical level, employees act as role models whose behaviors actively shape the company’s culture on a daily basis.
The employer is notably required to:
● Provide a workplace free from harassment;
● Implement a harassment prevention and management policy;
● Inform and train employees and managers;
● Intervene promptly when a situation is brought to their attention.
Beyond legal requirements, these obligations create an opportunity to build a human, proactive, and coherent approach aligned with the organization’s values.
An effective policy should not be limited to filing a formal complaint and automatically launching an investigation. While these mechanisms are essential, they represent only part of the possible solutions.
Your prevention policy is an opportunity to be creative by offering employees a variety of intervention options to address conflict, harassment, and problematic situations. The goal is to demonstrate adaptability in the approach.
For example, a policy could include:
Step 1 – Informal or Preventive Intervention
Direct discussion between the individuals involved, when the situation allows for it.
Step 2 – Collaborative Resolution
A process guided by a third party (internal or external) aimed at resolving the situation constructively, in a spirit of collaboration and respect. This step may include facilitation, mediation, conciliation, assisted dialogue (written or verbal), coaching, training, or support.
Step 3 – Filing a Written Complaint
When previous steps are insufficient or inappropriate, the policy provides for filing a formal complaint and, if necessary, conducting an investigation.
This approach recognizes that each situation is unique and that multiple effective intervention methods exist, without minimizing issues or discouraging reporting.
For your teams to be truly empowered in harassment prevention, it is essential that managers and employees:
● Know and understand their roles and responsibilities;
● Understand how to navigate the policy to maximize its benefits and choose the most appropriate intervention option for the situation;
● Develop conflict‑management and harassment‑prevention skills, particularly through workshops and practical training.
A policy, no matter how well written, is ineffective if it is not understood and applied. Ongoing training turns written principles into concrete reflexes integrated into daily practices.
Empowering your employees in harassment prevention requires a comprehensive approach: a strong organizational culture, clear and well‑understood obligations, a clear, nuanced, and creative prevention policy, as well as appropriate training.
At Neutra, we believe that a well‑written policy and training are essential to prevent and reduce risks within your organization. We support employers in drafting and revising prevention policies, implementing adapted intervention steps, and training teams to create healthy and respectful workplaces.
