How Effective Is Sexual Harassment Training?

Businesses have provided sexual harassment training for decades. After the #MeToo movement gained momentum in 2017, though, discussions about eliminating sexual harassment in the workplace became a top priority for many institutions.

According to a survey conducted in Canada, 43% of women and 12% of males had experienced sexual harassment on the job. 64% of women and 53% of men in another study said that sexual harassment occurs frequently or frequently in their employment. Anti-sexual harassment course is now widely used to raise awareness and lessen the impact of this prevalent issue.

A USD 10 billion industry is dedicated to preventing sexual harassment in the workplace in the United States, and five states mandate that businesses provide such courses to their staff.  In addition, 43% of respondents in a 2017 Canadian government survey said they had received training on the company’s sexual harassment policy.

Anti-sexual-harassment training aims to raise staff members’ general consciousness about the issue, improve their ability to identify instances of sexual harassment, and familiarize them with the company’s procedures for responding to complaints. Go to https://www.gendereconomy.org/anti-sexual-harassment-training-does-it-work/  to learn more.

More than that, it’s meant to raise awareness among workers about how sexual harassment harms both individuals and the company. Training can take many forms, from hands-on exercises to videos, games, conversations, and lectures; it can also last anywhere from a few minutes to several weeks or months.

It would be inaccurate to generalize about anti-sexual harassment training programs because they range widely in content and delivery style. Despite training’s widespread adoption, we must continue to probe its effects. Do anti-sexual harassment training courses successfully minimize sexual harassment in the workplace?

Evidence suggests that providing staff with anti-sexual harassment training is a valuable supplement to existing preventative measures against sexual harassment.

Spreading awareness

When it comes to sexual harassment in the workplace, individuals may not always be sure what constitutes an inappropriate action. Training can be beneficial because it helps people agree on the definition of harassment and equips them with the vocabulary and skills to combat it. This is vital in multicultural workplaces where employees come from various backgrounds and traditions.

Training on sexual harassment does improve people’s ability to recognize sexually harassing behavior, especially among men. When asked about unwelcome sexual advances, inappropriate touching, or pressure to go on dates, employees who had received training were much more likely to identify these behaviors as sexual harassment.  Understanding what constitutes sexual harassment is a crucial first step in preventing and resolving such incidents. Read more on this page.

Increased reporting and less victim shaming

It appears that after training, there is an uptick in sexual harassment complaints filed against businesses, suggesting that victims feel more comfortable coming forward.

This should not be interpreted as a training failure; rather, it shows that it is succeeding in creating a safe environment in which complainants feel less threatened by reprisal for raising concerns. Also, studies have shown that people’s victim-blaming attitudes change after training to prevent sexual harassment.

Activating onlookers may be its greatest strength

Anti-sexual harassment training could be most successful through bystander effects, despite common beliefs to the contrary. Bystander intervention training has been shown to boost not only bystanders’ intentions to interfere but also their confidence in doing so and the frequency with which they do so.

Bystander intervention lessens the likelihood of victim shaming and protects targets from retaliation resulting from their disclosure of harassment. Therefore, teaching bystanders to recognize and intervene in situations of sexual harassment is an essential resource for helping those who are harassed.

It has the potential to make workers feel more secure

Providing anti-sexual harassment education may have advantages beyond the material covered in the course, such as sending employees that they work in a harassment-free zone and that the company will not tolerate any form of harassment.

As a result, employees, especially women, may feel more welcome. While there is no foolproof method for preventing sexual harassment in the workplace, not taking any preventative measures at all could be seen as indifference at best.

Conclusion

Employers are responsible for monitoring staff for signs of insensitivity when interacting with members of a group with which they feel little uncommon. One person’s non-harassment may be another’s form of intimidation. Other actions are completely unacceptable.

You may face legal consequences if you don’t take measures to prevent such abuse. Employees are shielded from such treatment by federal and state statutes. An effective sexual harassment training program can help defuse situations like these.

A sense of accountability among employees and managers is fostered by quality training. As a result, it facilitates the development of an environment where employees’ needs and preferences are considered. More importantly, it contributes to the development of a gender-neutral environment at work.