As an employer, it is your responsibility to create a safe space and work environment. Unfortunately, you can’t always be sure of who you hire, and you don’t know how people’s personalities are going to mix.
When you found out that one of your newer hires was being harassed, you were surprised at the person who was harassing them. They were, and are, a great employee otherwise. You’re in a tough position because you need to stop the harassment. You also want to keep your employee.
What should you do to prevent a lawsuit from the person who was harassed?
To start with, it would be a good idea to sit down with the victim and the accused separately. When you speak with the victim, it’s important to listen to what they’re upset about and what they would like to see done about it. It may be that they are willing to work with you if you can change the other person’s schedule. They might be happy with some extra harassment training for the facility.
Speak with the accused as well. Right now, they’re facing serious allegations, and you need to get to the bottom of the situation. What have they done? Tell them how it affects others, and ask that they stop. If they are sincerely surprised and willing to stop those actions, then this might be enough to resolve the problem. You may also want to suspend them temporarily or change their schedule to reflect that they’ve been cited for their actions.
In the end, every situation is different. Listening and coming up with solutions that work in your business will help. However, if the harassment was particularly violent or harmful, it may be time to let that harassing worker go.