Workplace Harassment Protocol
A structured, numbered case file for harassment reports, with the reporter's signature, submitted files stored separately and access restricted to administration.
Every company is required to have a workplace harassment prevention protocol and to act when a report comes in. The hard part is not drafting the protocol (that is done once) but having a route staff dare to use and making sure the response is documented step by step.
The two go together. A route nobody trusts does not get used, and a response with no record cannot be proven afterwards, which is exactly what is asked for when the matter reaches external bodies.
Handling leaves a record of every step and every date. That traceability is not bureaucracy: it is the evidence that the company acted diligently, and it is the only thing you can produce the day somebody asks what was done and when.
The obligation
Having the protocol is not the same as being able to apply it
Every company is required to have a workplace harassment prevention protocol and to act when a report comes in. Drafting the document happens once and gets filed; the problem appears the day the first case arrives.
At that point you need two things the document alone does not provide:
- A route staff dare to use. If the only way is to speak to HR or send an email, most situations are never reported at all.
- A response documented step by step, because what gets assessed later is not the intention but what is on record as having been done, and when.
The two go together: a route nobody trusts does not get used, and a response with no record cannot be proven when the matter reaches external bodies.
The case file
Numbered, structured and with restricted access
Each report opens a case file with its number, the reporter's signature and the submitted files stored apart from the rest of the company's documentation. Access is limited to the admin profile designated to investigate.
That separation is not a technical detail. In a harassment case, who has been able to see the file matters as much as what it says: a leak during the investigation compromises the person who reported and the company alike.
Handling records every step and every date (receipt, interviews, precautionary measures where taken, conclusions) so the file tells on its own what was done and in what order.
Proving diligence
The only thing you can produce months later
When a case reaches the labour inspectorate or a court, the question put to the company is not whether it had a protocol: it is what it did when the report arrived, when it did it and what measures it took.
Answering that from memory, with scattered emails and whatever the investigator recalls, is a weak position even when the response was correct. The complete file, with its dates and signatures, is what turns a good response into a provable one.
And internally it has a second effect that counts for more than it seems: when staff see there is a serious procedure rather than an informal conversation, the route gets used earlier, which is while situations can still be resolved.
Clearing things up
Frequently asked questions
Answers to what we get asked most.
Is having the protocol written enough?
No. Drafting it happens once; the problem arrives on the day of the first case, when you need two things: a route staff dare to use and a response documented step by step. Without the second, nothing can be proven afterwards.
How is confidentiality guaranteed?
The case file is numbered and structured, with submitted files stored separately, and access is limited to the designated admin profile. In a harassment case, who has been able to see the file matters as much as what it says.
What is recorded about the handling?
Every step with its date: receipt, interviews, precautionary measures where taken, and conclusions. The file tells on its own what was done and in what order, which is exactly what is asked for when the matter reaches external bodies.
Does it help internally?
Yes, more than it seems: when staff see there is a serious procedure rather than an informal conversation, the route gets used earlier, which is while situations can still be resolved.
Compliance and documents
An anonymous whistleblowing channel, a harassment protocol, coordination with your contractors, a document manager with expiry alerts, document signing and a visitor log.
Whistleblowing Portal
An internal reporting channel with its own address, where anyone can report without giving their name and then follow the case with a reference and a PIN.
View moduleCAE · Activity Coordination
Each contractor uploads their documentation to their own space (the company's, that of every worker who will access the site, machinery and vehicles) and the system tracks expiry dates and validations.
View moduleAnti-Fraud Law
Relevant operations are kept in a tamper-evident history with integrity sealing: who did what and when, with no way to change it afterwards.
View moduleDocument Manager
Company documentation classified by type and attached to what it belongs to (an employee, a customer, a vehicle, a site) with its expiry date, alerts and permissions.
View moduleDocument Signing
Documents are sent and signed digitally from the employee portal, with a record of who signed, which document and when.
View moduleVisitor Log
A digital record of who enters your premises, who they are visiting, why, and their entry and exit times.
View module