LAUSR

Importance of understanding legal framework The law serves as a societal level factor that shapes organizational goals, strategies, and policies. Furthermore, the law establishes a set of broad norms that will impact organizational norms. Laws and norms should thus inform organizational codes of conduct, which have been associated with variance in undesirable work behaviors (e.g., Kish-Gephart et al., 2010). As suggested by Ajzen’s (1991) theory of planned behavior, norms play a meaningful role in influencing behavior. Not only does the law impact psychological applications to workplace harassment prevention, but understanding the legal context will also position psychologists to contribute to improvements in the law. With the proper legal orientation, applied psychologists can study the relevant psychological phenomenon and evaluate interventions to provide evidence-based advocacy for a better legal framework for workplace harassment. Examination of relevant legal factors highlights further implications regarding many of the topics in the focal article by Hayes et al. (2020) and raises important supplemental research considerations. Hence, I explore three examples: the legal definitions of sexual harassment, the legal requirements for remedial action, and the impact of an employee failing to report. As a disclaimer, I do not intend this as legal advice or as comprehensive coverage of all the relevant legal factors for workplace harassment interventions.