Sexual Harassment Training Seminars
In our Sexual Harassment Awareness
training seminars your employees will learn and apply
the important skills of handling sexual harassment issues
and complaints. This hands on seminar thoroughly addresses
the elements of how to
prevent unacceptable
behavior. The seminar includes a detailed
overview of what sexual
harassment is, explains legal definitions, discusses sexual
harassment prevention, and shows how to handle sexual
harassment complaints and maintain a positive work
environment.
For more information about individual sexual harassment
training seminars please complete
this form. Once the form is received one of our
consultants will provide you with a confidential proposal
that will include a detailed description of the training
seminar and the costs for conducting it.
Sexual Harassment Training:
Six Ways to Sabotage Sexual Harassment Prevention Training
More states are requiring employers to
conduct sexual harassment prevention training; here are
six ways companies are blowing it.
According to the EEOC data released on March 10, 2009,
more people experienced workplace discrimination last year
than ever before. In fact, the economy has created a
perfect storm for employment-related claims; massive
layoffs cause hurt feelings and disgruntled former
employees, increased stress tends to derail effective
workplace communication, and recent research suggests that
individuals really are less likely to hire women and
minorities during tough times.
So what are employers to do with this new data? Is it time
to round up the troops for another boring training video?
Nope. Contrary to popular belief, employers are
recognizing that compliance training does not have to be
unpleasant or meaningless, especially those who get the
“big picture,” i.e., that it doesn’t work to tell people
what they can’t do if they don’t know – or don’t know how
– to do what they should.
Compliance Training That Sparks Noncompliance
Of course, there are still plenty of ways to mess up.
Employers still fall prey to common mistakes. With that in
mind, here is a look at six surefire ways to sabotage a
sexual harassment prevention program:
Use training to avoid the real issue. No one likes to
confront a trouble maker, so don’t do it! Send everyone to
training instead. Trust that the offending manager or
employee will somehow see the light after sitting through
a training class and no one will have to deal with him or
her directly. Ignore the resentment of other employees who
are all well aware of why they are sitting in the workshop
instead of focusing on work.
Keep compliance training separate from anything else. In
response to a harassment complaint, immediately send the
entire organization through another round of
harassment/discrimination prevention training. Don’t
consider whether it’s part of a larger problem, such as
poor hiring practices or ineffective management
development. Sure, a lot of managers are promoted without
a clue about how to manage, but why waste time teaching
them? After a few employee casualties, they'll turn out
just fine.
Send mixed messages. Start off the training with a joke
about sexual harassment (how about, “Our trainer today is
here to teach all of us how to be a better sexual harasser
. . . wink wink nod nod). Or, go in the opposite
direction; set a standard that is so unrealistic, it has a
chilling effect on everyone involved. Don’t worry about
senior managers setting an effective example; after all,
employees rarely see them. And don’t even consider asking
them to attend any training sessions; who needs senior
management’s authority, endorsement or buy-in?
Don’t waste time on regular employees. This isn’t rocket
science- it's an off-color joke at the water cooler, a
gripe about an unfair supervisor, or a policy that someone
claims wasn’t applied consistently. The people most likely
to complain don’t need to be trained to express themselves
effectively. Everyone is born knowing how to deal with an
irate, disrespectful, or offensive boss or coworker. So
don’t waste time and money training the people who are
most vulnerable.
Ignore the psychology behind the laws. Don’t address
people’s natural resistance toward mandatory training; let
it be the elephant standing in the corner. Better yet,
make them feel guilty for not immediately jumping on the
bandwagon. Don’t talk about what humor is effective at
work, how office romance can be handled professionally, or
what managers can do to put money in their employees’
emotional bank account.
Focus on legalese. Bombard them with lawsuits (try
throwing out terms like “shifting burdens of proof” and
“adverse tangible employment action”) and scare the wits
of them. Fear always motivates people to get along better.
And don’t worry about complaints of generally disruptive
or intimidating behaviors; after all, many of them aren’t
technically illegal. So what if they undermine a climate
of safety or lower morale?
Do the bare minimum. Often, sexual harassment is the area
in which most supervisors need a refresher course — but
it’s certainly not the only one. A good training program
will also mention harassment on the basis of race, age,
disability, national origin, religion, and other
categories that may be protected by state law.
The Bottom Line
HR should be defined not by what it does, but what it
delivers. A sound understanding of the civil rights laws
is just a starting point in the quest for legal compliance
and effective work relations; it's the rest of the
journey- the attitude and expertise of the trainer, the
quality of the content, the receptivity of the learners-
that determine how successful the prevention program is in
meeting its goals.
Source: Joni Johnston
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