Why Is Sexual Harassment Training Needed In Every Organization?
As a business owner, why does it matter to you whether or not your organization provides anti-harassment training? Most HR professionals understand the importance of anti-harassment training, yet studies and anecdotal evidence continue to show that traditional anti-harassment training is ineffective.
Why? This is typically the case since the content’s emphasis on legal matters and the tone of punishment turn off workers. Although not shocking considering the historical goals of workplace harassment training, the material and delivery do little to encourage desirable workplace conduct, which is the primary goal of preventative education.
Historically, businesses have provided anti-harassment training because 1) they needed to comply with state or federal regulations, 2) they wanted a more solid legal defense in the event of a harassment claim, or 3) they were afraid of the financial and public relations damage that could result from harassment in the workplace. Follow the link for more https://www.coe.int/en/web/gender-matters/harassment-and-sexual-harassment.
Today’s forward-thinking businesses realize that the real benefits of anti-harassment training lie in shielding workers from harassment, fostering a welcoming and inclusive workplace for all employees, and establishing a foundation of mutual respect.
Though it is vital that businesses adhere to all applicable federal and state regulations, they run a serious risk if they do not take adequate measures to prevent harassment from occurring within their workplace.
Some jurisdictions require businesses to give their staff anti-harassment education and training. Contrary to simply “checking the box” to demonstrate compliance, you should make use of the allotted training time to influence employee behavior and avert any potentially damaging actions. In this way, businesses can actively work to lessen harassment in the workplace and lessen potential dangers.
That can be accomplished through training, but not through the conventional methods of discouraging harassment. Continue reading this article if you want to discover more helpful information on the topic.
Sexual harassment training should be ongoing
An obligatory harassment prevention learning experience each year to be compliant with legal obligations, without more, is not the kind of effort that effectively can develop a respected workplace culture.
Instead of being a one-and-done affair, successful harassment prevention training should be a part of a continuous chain of preventatively oriented communications. All of the materials developed and disseminated for the purpose of preventing harassment in the workplace should have their origins in solid company policy and a well-defined company culture.
Town hall meetings, lunch and learns, on-demand webinars, frequently asked questions, etc. are just some of the many possible settings in which prevention messaging—reiterating the significance of treating someone else with dignity and reinforcing that disrespectful behavior will not be tolerated—could be implemented.
Messages about preventing harassment in the workplace should be reinforced frequently and integrated into various aspects of an organization’s operations, from new hire orientation to annual in-service training to performance reviews between employees and supervisors. These tools aid in maintaining a unified message that may be communicated in many formats over time. Rather than once a year only.
Importantly, multiple stakeholders, including the board, the CEO, senior leaders, direct supervisors, and peers and coworkers, should advocate for harassment prevention training. You can discover more by checking out this page.
The value of sexual harassment training
At last, the results you get from your harassment awareness training indicate just how crucial it is. First, you need to consider what it is you hope to accomplish, then select programming that you believe will help you reach those goals, and last, you need to evaluate your success. Ask yourself: are you seeing any results from your labor. Do you think they are having an effect? How exactly? Which platforms are yielding the best outcomes?
Organizational outcomes, such as employee satisfaction or behavior changes, can be used to evaluate the success of a program aimed at reducing harassment in the workplace.
As an example, HR may look at patterns in reports and complaints from workers or calls to a helpline. One thing to keep in mind, though, is that if an organization begins making strides to educate people about the need of reporting harassment, the number of reports of harassment will likely rise.
Questions like “I feel free to report occurrences of sexual harassment without fear of retaliation” and “I feel respected for my contribution” are good places to start when conducting a survey to gauge how employees feel about harassment in the workplace. Establishing a starting point and tracking employee opinions over time can reveal both strengths and weaknesses. So, as a business owner make sure to remember that!
Training to prevent harassment in the workplace educates employees on the nature of the problem and how they can work together to solve it. While it’s true that a compliant and low-risk environment is preferable, what really matters is fostering a preventative and encouraging work environment for your staff.