Q.1 Read Reading 6.1: Sexual Harassment Versus Workplace Romance: Social Media Spillover and Textual Harassment in the Workplace in the text. Further, review the section Human Resource Guidelines in a Digital Age. There are six items listed. (Answers must cover these 3 questions, 200 words or more)

· How significant are the six items to today’s Human Resources policies and operations?

· How significant are the six items to future Human Resources policies and operations?

· Discuss these issues with your colleagues. Are there additional issues or concerns that should be considered? If so, what are they, and why are they significant to consider and discuss?

Q..2 Write a reply for (Kins) for all (100 words)

Section 6.1: Sexual Harassment Versus Workplace Romance: Social Media Spillover and Textual Harassment in the Workplace in the text and the section Human Resource Guidelines in a Digital Age (Mello, 2019) discuss more than six items in reference to sexual harassment and a Human Resource policy. Within my understanding, an effective Human Resource policy will do the following things: ensure sexual harassment in the workplace is actively policed and litigated, as defined in a Human Resources policy, educate staff on the expectations of their behavior in regards to workplace interaction in the digital realm and assign that policy to all company electronic interactions. There is a clause with my employer about being representations of the company and anything made public in regards to our beliefs or behavior is a reflection of the company. The ramifications are not specific, but the reasoning clearly states that if our behavior negatively impacts or implicates the company, it is grounds for dismissal. From the perspective of my course project, which has to do with commitment and the ways in which these commitments can be exasperated to meet company/employer goals, perhaps these types of policies have a larger impact on the personal connections and clearly defining staff responsibility as it relates to conduct is significant.

I identified workplace romance dynamics, motivation, advancement, performance, workplace morale, and job security in the text as issues that are incredibly important to Human Resource policy management and creation today as these issues are not new to the biosphere of a standard working environment. Within a digital context, the dynamics of a workplace romance are complicated. All generations are much more equipped electronically and more likely to interact digitally (Mainiero et al., 2013). This creates a space not just at work physically, but in a potentially unmonitored space for remote employee engagement. This reality is coupled with dedicated employee obligations to be communicative, friendly, and in connection with one another through the various social media and digital platforms simply for workplace efficiency. In my own experience,

Q.3 write reply for this article (Gad)

The six items discussed in the reading 6.1: Sexual Harassment Versus Workplace Romance: Social Media Spillover and Textual Harassment in the Workplace (Mello, 2019) is very significant to today’s Human Resources policies and operations because it a form of protection not only for the organization but for everyone involved and the stakeholders of the company. If an organization don’t have policies in place to cover this type of issue it could potentially ruin the company financially, image/reputation, and the culture of the organization. These same items carry the same significance when it comes to future Human Resources policies and operations because with enforcing the policies, guidelines and training then the organization has a fighting chance of sustaining possible accusations against the organization. Also, with strong, detailed policies in place an organization presents a level of trust and importance of the subject that would be attractive to potential workers in consideration in employment with the organization.

This read seems to be directed more to the new era of technology with social media being a form of sexual harassments and I didn’t really think about it until reading this how the items need to be included in the training to make sure people are aware of the things that could be considered as sexual harassments and what is not when it comes to the social media presence. My employee does cover sexual harassments training and have a working relationship policy in place that both parties have to sign a contract and provide some background on how they meet and other details and if they breakup while still employed they have to sign another contract providing date of breakup, why and other details. But, I do not think they have things related to social media in the harassments policy.

When speaking with a few co-workers in our case we do feel that the issues discussed in the read related to social media should be added to the policies in place. Some of us even felt like we shouldn’t be friends on social media with co-workers to help avoid some of the issues. We also discussed that if your page or social media platform isn’t private it does allow for a co-worker to still like or DM you but again that should be prohibited and part of the policy. For me I do have a few co-workers as friends on social media but they are all women but that doesn’t exclude the possibilities, but I have my supervisor blocked but my page isn’t private so I don’t know if she can still see my activity. Very informative read and could potentially offer some changes with our policy at my organization in the near future.

Mello, J. (2021). Strategic Human Resource Management (5th ed., pp. 206-220). Cengage.

Q.3 Write a reply for this article(Joh)

While there should be a separate set of clearly defined guidelines for workplace sexual harassment in general, I am in agreement with all 6 items that are suggested additions to cohesive HR strategy pertaining specifically to the compounded issue of sexual harassment in the workplace as it pertains to workplace romance. According to assigned reading (Mello, 2019), the following objectives are reasonable HR foundational items that can be used to build sound workplace romance policy…

1) Drafting and implementing a proactive strategy to include aspects of sexual harassment is important and should be written into policy, as it will define the organization constitutes as wrong behavior.

2) A  reactive strategy  is necessary as it delivers a code of conduct, as well as how breaking this code will be handled. Employees should have to agree to this code upon being hired. This way, they are advised of (and agree to) ramifications of breeching this code of conduct.

3) It is important to  explain unacceptable behaviors around social media  in order to make employees aware of this prior to beginning an assigned post. Many are unaware of what an organization’s rules are surrounding social media. If the rules are clearly defined, most employees will hesitate to breech employer expectations.

4)  Defining reasons why specific behaviors constitute a form of harassment  may lend understanding as to how unwanted attentions, regardless of intention, can and often do snowball into larger complications that carry the potential to not only affect operations, but the future of involved employees from a legal perspective.

5) Definitively stating that  continuance of specified and defined harassment violations (during a consensual workplace romance and after) will not be tolerated and will have ramifications . (addendum: I would suggest clearly stating what ramifications will take place, as well as listing their levels in conjunction with the severity of listed actions).

6) It is highly advisable to  present a caveat that HR professionals will investigate all harassment claims received . Employees will not be blindsided by this action if ever they are involved in a workplace romance that has gone awry.

Resource

Mello, Jeffrey. (2019). Strategic human resource management. Online. Mindtap from Cengage.