Facebook Publicly Releases its Internal Anti-Harassment Policy

harassment

With all that is going on in Hollywood, from Harvey Weinstein to Kevin Spacey, Facebook, Inc. (NASDAQ:FB) has made its corporate anti-harassment policy available to the public. This is pretty significant news considering the post – located on the company’s website – breaks down Facebook’s procedures when it comes to looking into harassment claims.

In the post, VP of people Lori Goler and COO Sheryl Sandberg wrote that their decision to publicly release this information is “not because we think we have all the answers, but because we believe that the more companies that are open about their policies, the more we can all learn from one another.”

If you were to navigate over to Facebook’s website right now, you would see the company’s advice on optimizing anti-harassment training. Further, Facebook also listed a number of examples of workplace harassment, such as “unwelcome sexual advances or invitations” and  “derogatory or insensitive jokes, pranks, or comments.”

As for the tech giant itself, employees have the option of reporting incidents of harassment through HR, as well as a whistleblower hotline. However, managers are required to report any violation that they witness and “will be subject to discipline for failing to timely report.”

After a complaint has been filed, a team of investigators will reach out to the employee to schedule a meeting to discuss the report further.

Goler and Sandberg emphasized in their statement that it is essential for companies to be publicly accountable about their harassment policies going forward, “We don’t have everything worked out at Facebook on these issues, but we will never stop striving to make sure we have a safe and respectful working environment for all our people.”

Featured Image: Depositphotos/© alexeynovikov

About the author: Caroline Harris is a third-year student at Capilano University in North Vancouver, Canada. Having already completed an Associates Degree in Psychology, Caroline is now finishing her Bachelor's degree in Communications. In preparation for working in the advertisement sector, Caroline is writing financial content and analysis. On a daily basis, Caroline works on articles regarding the following topics: finance, cryptocurrency, technology, and politics.