Encourage bystanders to report harassment.

In 2016, the EEOC began urging all employers to require so-called bystander reporting to help curb sexual and other forms of harassment.

Exactly what those policies should look like has been largely left to employers. Many employers require managers and supervisors to report blatant instances of harassment they witness. Many encourage rank-and-file employees to do the same. But those policies may not go far enough.

Here's an approach for creating a culture that discourages harassment from occurring in the first place.

Defining bystander

A bystander is someone who witnesses sexual or other harassment but is not a participant. For example, a co-worker who sees a supervisor brush against a subordinate's buttocks while passing in a hallway is a bystander.

Employers with bystander reporting rules usually require someone in a supervisory position to report observed behavior to HR. However, they may not require the same for co-workers.

A second type of bystander is someone in whom an employee confides discomfort with a co-worker's or supervisor's comments or actions.

Bystander obligations

Make sure every employee you identify as a bystander in your anti-harassment policy understands their obligations. If reporting harassment is mandatory, set up a system for receiving bystander reports. Include mandatory reporting of...