News

Harassment In The Dental Office: Where It Lurks, Prevention, And Remediation

Harassment In The Dental Office: Where It Lurks, Prevention, And Remediation
by Dennis J Alessi and William S. Barrett

Almost all the media attention of late has been on sexual harassment by male bosses against their female subordinates. But there are many other potential forms of harassment, and from many other potential sources, that dental practices must address, prevent, and remediate.

What Is Harassment?

The federal and state statutes that prohibit harassment in the workplace include definitions that, as should be expected, are written in very legal terms. In plain English, prohibited harassment occurs whenever employees must endure a hostile (ie, an offensive) work environment simply because they are a member of a protected class of employees.

The hostility (the offensiveness) can be expressed either in words or deeds. Generally, it must be “pervasive,” in the sense that it must occur on such a regular basis that it becomes a routine condition of employment. However, in some situations even one incident can constitute prohibited harassment, such as forcibly kissing a coworker, pulling a chador off the head of a female Muslim employee, or using the “N” word with an African-American employee.

Admittedly, all these statutes do consider any form of workplace harassment as serious a violation as any other form. However, dental practices should consider sexual harassment somewhat differently because, unlike other forms, there are really two degrees of sexual harassment—one more serious than the other.

Read full article on Dentistry Today.