As a small business owner running an office, you have a lot on your plate.
From your brand making money to having the most satisfied customers, those are but the tip of the iceberg.
That said how do you go about making sure that your workplace is a fit and proper venue for people to work out of?
While many offices have little or no problems when it comes to workers getting along, others can’t say the same.
For example, what if one or more employees appear to be harassing others? Where do you begin to get to the bottom of it?
Let New Hires Know the Rules from Day One
In hiring new employees, it is critical that you let them know from day one what the rules are.
With that in mind, make sure to cover these key areas:
- Expectations of your team – Let new hires know expectations you have beyond job duties. As an example, you more than likely want team players and not individuals. Even someone with the best talents may not be a good fit for you if he or she doesn’t help or coexist with other workers.
- Legal issues – What your employees do outside of work is not on your watch. That said you do not want workers who are causing mischief and even running afoul of the law. One example of this would be textual harassment. While sexual harassment comes to mind, harassment via texting is an issue. With that in mind, make sure to have a clear policy on workers contacting fellow employees. Yes, friendships are going to form in the workplace over time. That said they have to be agreeable to both parties involved. If one of your workers is texting another without their consent, this needs to stop. In the event it doesn’t it could turn into a legal matter or worse.
- Using social media – While texting can be an issue in the office, so too can social media. Some want employees to promote the brand on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Meantime, others have strict policies when it comes to employees and social media. By having a clear policy, there should be few or no questions about employees using social media on the job.
- Having a problem – In the event there is a problem with one or more employees don’t make it something for the office to see. Talk to the party or parties involved in private. In doing this, there is less chance of gossip breaking out through the entire company.
In making the right decisions for your small business, look to do what is in your company’s best interests.
If someone is harassing another employee or a client, let them know that this is unacceptable. Should they choose not to respect you and others they work with or do business for, then it is time to cut ties.
As a small business owner, have you come across textual harassing in your workplace?