Understanding the identification and reporting of sexual harassment through training
Defining workplace sexual harassment is often difficult for employees. A study by the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) found when participants were asked if they experienced sexual harassment, only 25 percent of respondents said yes. That number grew to 60 percent when the question was asked regarding specific acts of harassment.. Because victims of sexual harassment often have a difficult time identifying and reporting sexual harassment, raining your employees on identifying, reporting, and preventing sexual harassment can create at safer workplace and assist with understanding the laws against harassment and the rights of victims of harassment.
Identifying Sexual Harassment
There is a fine line between acceptable and unacceptable behavior, and sometimes the ball is dropped during that delicate balancing act. It is important to keep in mind that even when the harassment isn’t intended or meant to be sexual, it could be construed as such. Creating a clear set of standards for all employees and management personnel at your company can help them feel more confident in avoiding harassing behavior and clearly identifying when acts constitute sexual harassment. I addition, training for employees and management should be tailored toward identifying, and more importantly avoiding, behavior that could be viewed as sexual harassment and assisting employees with recognizing the different types of harassment and providing tools for them to address and report any harassment they face.
Reporting Sexual Harassment
Employers should have clear policies in place that explain and define sexual harassment and encourage reporting of sexual harassment. In addition, training Human Resources personnel and management on handling sexual harassment claims can go a long way toward creating a safe working environment for employees and will reassure them that their claims will be investigated and handled properly. Failure to have an effective policy in place could result in absenteeism, reduced productivity, and frequent turnover because of employees who feel they are being harassed and victimized or that they work for an employer who is disinterested in creating a safe work environment.
Preventing Sexual Harassment
For the employer, prevention is key and one of the best ways to prevent sexual harassment is through education and training. When your employees know what constitutes sexual harassment, the consequences for such harassment, and the processes of reporting harassing behavior, they will feel more confident in identifying and reporting any offenses. For management, understanding the laws on such behavior and the consequences are key, as well as understanding their obligations in the reporting process when an employee brings a complaint of harassment to their attention.
WebCE offers two new courses to teach you how to prevent, identify, and report sexual harassment in the workplace. WebCE’s course Sexual Harassment:
A Guide To Prevention, Processes, and Consequences covers the requirements for employers to train their employees on what constitutes sexual harassment and the processes of filing a claim. We also have course for supervisors and leadership titled
Prevention of Sexual Harassment in the Workplace: Supervisor Edition designed to teach company leadership to understand the consequences of participating in sexual harassment as well as the federal and state laws that exist to protect victims of harassment.
Sexual harassment is more common than you may think, and employees deserve to feel safe in the workplace. By filling the knowledge gap between employees and leadership through training, employees will feel confident knowing sexual harassment is taken seriously at your company and handled in the appropriate manner.
To view more sexual harassment and workplace training courses, visit
www.webce.com or speak to our knowledgeable customer support team at 877.488.9308.
View Workplace Training Courses
This blog post in intended for informational purposes only; WebCE does not provide legal advice.