Eyeworld

26 Ophthalmology Business • September 2018 Build a practice culture based on embracing diversity, showing inter- personal respect, and demonstrating empathy, putting ourselves in the place of others to understand how our comments and behaviors make them feel. "Ask yourself, 'How would I feel if my spouse, parent, or child saw or heard this behavior?'" Dr. Piso said. When harassment occurs, it's best to nip it in the bud and make a statement about your standards of behavior in the workplace, he added. If an employee feels he or she has been the victim of harassment, Dr. Piso recommended reporting it to the harasser's supervisor and the practice's human resources department. Be sure to document and describe all incidents that have occurred, including the date, time, place, quotes, and names of partic- ipants and witnesses; these details serve as anecdotal records and evi- dence. If someone does report harass- ment, managers should conduct a timely, appropriate, confidential, and thorough investigation. The practice is responsible for stopping any abuse or harassment and must protect any affected person from further inci- dents and retaliation, Dr. Piso said. "The clock starts ticking once a complaint or report is made to any practice manager," he said. Dealing with harassment swiftly and effectively is best for the vic- tim but also for the entire practice, according to Dr. Piso. "If someone's polluting the water, we all suffer," he said. "But if we have competent managers who work to resolve it, you've filtered the water for the rest of us." OB Editors' note: Dr. Piso has no financial interests related to this article. Contact information Piso: crag33@aol.com or any type of coercive physical or sexual action. Verbal behaviors include using foul or obscene language; propo- sitions, threats and cyber stalking; and comments about gender-specific traits or a person's physical attributes, sexual activities, orientation, or lifestyle. Nonverbal behaviors could be staring, whistling, catcalling, and performing pranks, or offering gifts, letters, or gestures of a sexual nature. Hostile environment harassment is more difficult to identify and stop, so it's more common than quid pro quo, according to Dr. Piso. Most often, these behaviors are subtle and progress from mildly offensive to more abusive over time. "People engage in limit-testing behavior," he said. "If you allow them to rub your shoulder and don't do anything, don't be surprised if that person, having successfully crossed that line, will see how or if you'll react to the next deeper level of boundary violation." If you're unsure whether a behavior constitutes harassment, imagine if a stranger committed such an act in public, Dr. Piso said. For example, if a stranger kissed you, grabbed you, or hugged you on the street, you might call the police or accuse that person of sexual assault. "It's a helpful barometer for un- derstanding we have a right to expect that when we walk down the halls or interact with each other, we're not going to be violated in these ways," he said. Manage harassment effectively The first step in managing harass- ment is to prevent it by creating a culture of safety, Dr. Piso said. Estab- lish clear written policies and proce- dures regarding harassment and have them vetted by legal experts. Be sure to educate and re-educate staff about these policies as often as needed and encourage reporting of harassment and open communication. What constitutes harassment? Sexual harassment occurs whenever unwelcome conduct on the basis of gender affects a person's job, Dr. Piso said. Federal EEOC laws protect American workers from abuse, so sex- ual harassment is a violation of feder- al law. Dr. Piso focused specifically on gender harassment, but harassment could be based on other personal attributes such as race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, disability, physical appearance, body size, or religion. Dr. Piso defined two basic types of sexual harassment: quid pro quo and hostile environment. Quid pro quo, or "this for that," encompasses threats and rewards used to coerce someone into sexual activity. Threats include loss of employment, block- ing a promotion or salary increases, demotions, and poor performance evaluations. Rewards include pro- motions, salary increases, continua- tion of employment, and favorable evaluations. It's important to remember the harasser does not have to be the vic- tim's direct supervisor; anyone in the practice with the power to affect a person's terms of employment could be guilty of committing quid pro quo harassment, Dr. Piso said. Hostile environment harassment occurs when anyone in the practice with whom an employee interacts creates an abusive work environment or interferes with the employee's work performance. This type of harassment is not limited to people who work in the practice, Dr. Piso said. Vendors, visitors, and patients could all be affected by or perpetra- tors of harassment. Managing hostile environment harassment requires practice manag- ers to be aware of the various physi- cal, verbal, and non-verbal behaviors that constitute harassment, he said. Physical behaviors include unneces- sary touching, kissing, or hugging; grabbing or blocking a person's path; continued from page 24

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