Insights | February 13, 2020
Anu Waaralinna and Mari Mohsen speakers at seminar about harassment in the workplace
As "me too" spreads over the world and awareness about workplace harassment and work conflicts is growing, the need to deal with these complicated matters increases. Roschier's employment experts Anu Waaralinna and Mari Mohsen have extensive experience in dealing with sensitive harassment matters, and were two of the speakers at a recent seminar for lawyers on harassment.
When dealing with sensitive, harassment-related issues, it is important to earn the client’s trust, both regarding legal knowledge and the personal qualities of the consultant. Roschier’s experts, Partner Anu Waaralinna and Senior Associate Mari Mohsen, as experienced investigators, had several insights to share with their audience on the Harassment Day seminar (Häirintäpäivä) arranged by Alma Talent and The Association of Finnish Lawyers.
- It is important to asses the nature of the situation and provide assistance throughout the whole process. The procedure should be tailored to the client’s specific needs and communication between all relevant parties should be kept clear and efficient.
- Interviews should be organized and conducted, potential witnesses identified and the interviews and findings must me thoroughly analyzed.
- In order to maintain a compliant process, documenting everything is crucial. Facts have to be checked and documented in a compliant manner.
- As a part of a responsible investigation process, a summary of the legal context should be provided for the client, as well as findings, legal conclusions and instructions for future risk management and re-building a healthy work environment.
The Harassment Day seminar was held in Helsinki on 12 February 2020. The other speakers at the event were CEO Tarja Jussila at Hill + Knowlton Strategies, Director Harri Väisänen from TySo Oy and Senior Officer Jenny Rintala from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration of The Regional State Administrative Agency of Southern Finland.