Although all employees of an organization must do their parts to prevent sexual harassment and to report it when it does occur, the responsibility for creating a culture that stresses the importance of prevention and reporting lies with the employer. When an employer makes prevention a priority, that mindset has a positive influence on all levels of that workplace. Conversely, when an employer places no importance on prevention, then sexual harassment and the problems it creates are very likely to permeate all levels of that organization.

Sexual harassment can have devastating effects on the individuals involved and on the workplace environment in which they occur. And despite how quickly an employer might respond to a sexual harassment complaint, by that point, severe damage can already have been done. Preventing sexual harassment from occurring in the first place as such is of paramount importance.

Federal and state laws require businesses to take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment. Many businesses look the other way when they become aware of sexual harassment because the harasser is important to the organization’s ability to make money. The business may be reluctant to fire an employee who is key to the company’s success. How then should a business address sexual harassment? Does it need to fire the harasser? The answer is “probably not,” but a more complete answer depends on the circumstances.