Whether it’s babysitting, scooping ice cream, or doing some office work for a business owner (even if the employer is family or a family friend), it is important to talk with your children and the business owner/manager about child safety.

A teen may automatically assume that the people they are working with are respectable and that their first priority is the task of running the business, but too often this is not the case.

It is important to mentally prepare our growing children to be aware that there is the potential for sexual harassment and abuse to occur on the job, whether it’s from another employee or from management. Find out what policies & procedures the management has established for reporting and handling sexual harassment or abuse. When good business owners know that you take abuse seriously, they will often follow suit and take the necessary precautions.