Caritas Christi Health Care

1. Should the President of Caritas Christi Health Care be fired? Why?
Mr. Haddad Care should be terminated if the proper conditions exist for the termination to take place. A proper investigation of the situation should take place to determine and address the primary factors involved. The allegations brought forward by these women need to be examined on a case by case basis. Once the reliability of the witnesses has been established, then a further determination can be established.
Knowing the witnesses and their reliability gives the necessary history to establish a case. The company’s policy of “progressive discipline” states on having the necessary documentation to proceed with a termination. A written warning and a suspension should already have taken place before proceeding with a termination. If Mr. Haddad already had a written warning, and suspension, then the company should proceed to terminate Mr. Haddad.
There should be no hesitation at this point due to the high level position Mr. Haddad has with the company. Special treatment should not be a factor. On the other hand another factor to consider, which is important and is the reason why sexual harassment has to be considered on a case by case basis, is that if Mr. Haddad alleged behavior goes beyond the scope of the company’s definition of sexual harassment. The company’s definition of sexual harassment includes “sexually charged looks and gestures” and “unnecessary touching,” such as hugging.
If Mr. Haddad’s behavior had gone beyond, in a manner that was interpreted to be more aggressive than the company’s definition of sexual harassment then an immediate termination would be warranted. To make a clear cut determine based on the facts presented whether Mr. Haddad should immediately be terminated or not would be a matter for further study. The facts are premature at best.

2. Why is the handling of sexual harassment cases considered complicated?
The handling of sexual harassment cases is considered to be complicated, because it is based on the credibility of the accuser. In this particular case depending on the individual circumstances, the credibility and work performance of Mr. Haddad may be examined. This could be important because the allegations can be false, with the intentions of having the employee terminated.
Another reason sexual harassment cases are also difficult to handle is because the interpretation of sexual harassment based on the perceptions of employees varies from culture to culture and workplace to workplace. Also the perceptions and recollection of a particular incident may change with time. This is why it is important to conduct a thorough investigation as soon as possible. Victims tend to change their stories and exaggerate the story to make it sound more severe than the actual story. This is the reason that the questioning of the victims are done separately to determine the degree of teamwork, if there is legitimacy to the story. To avoid these type of issues, employers prohibit workplace romances and if discovered later is determined to be sufficient grounds for termination.

3. Explain in your own words why consistency in handling sexual harassment claims is important. When handling sexual harassment case, it is important to be consistent to demonstrate to employees that there is zero tolerance for sexual harassment in the workplace. It shows that regardless of what position you hold within a workplace, if you do something that goes against the policies and regulations of the workplace it will be dealt with in an appropriate manner according to the severity of the incident with no exemption.
Consistency sends a clear message to any employee contemplating conducting their self in an inappropriate manner to act accordingly to the policies. Consistency also shows that such behavior will be dealt with and that sexual harassment cases will not be swept under the rug. Consistency shows employees that the workplace is a respectable environment and that everyone will be treated equally. By doing so, it creates a productive workplace.
According to the United States Equal Employee Opportunity Commission sexual harassment is against the law to harass someone in a sexual manner. Sexual harassment has a more broad view than just sexual. It can be sexual or offensive, and can be physical or verbal displayed. Sexual harassment can be displayed by either a woman or man and the victim can be of the same sex or opposite sex. Usually the sexual harassment is seen more often when a person has power over another. The harasser can be anyone with authority, such as a supervisor, co-worker, or customer.