Why Sexual Harassment Training is so Important Today
Looking at our world today, it is difficult to deny that we need to make changes in our corporate spaces. Places of work are meant for productivity and action, not fear and nervousness surrounding the behavior of employees or supervisors. Unfortunately, many Americans experience the latter rather than the former.
That is why we need to implement concrete policies and take action against this worrying trend. This begs the question: what can we possibly do as individuals? While it can seem difficult, and nigh impossible to do something on an individual level, there are steps that we can take.
Naturally, this is especially true for human resource representatives and managers or supervisors (and bosses). Follow along today for a better description of what we can do, and why it is so important. You can check out some statistics here, https://www.eeoc.gov/data/sexual-harassment-our-nations-workplaces, to get an idea of what I am talking about before we proceed.
Looking at the Facts: “Wokeness” or Common Decency?
While most people would probably not argue against the fact that we should all be doing our best to prevent harassment from occurring in any space, but especially the workplace, there are still some who cry out that it is simply “woke politics” that is causing the pushback. However, I hope that most of my readers here understand that this is simply not the case. Allow me a moment to explain.
It hurts my heart that sexual harassment cases have been turned into a political issue. At the end of the day, there is nothing political about it. People of either gender can experience it, and there is no justification for it either way. The behavior is harmful and not appropriate for a place of business.
That goes for all types of harassment, not just sexual. So, this includes discrimination and physical interactions that are unwanted. What falls under the discrimination umbrella?
Any decision made, whether it is for employment or otherwise, in a place of business that is impacted by factors such as race, gender, socio-economic status, ethnicity, religion, sexuality, or sex can be qualified as a discriminatory one. Those are all huge no-noes. Woke culture is not the reason for it, but rather, human decency.
Productivity Matters, too
Shifting gears now, let us examine why it is important on an economical and/or financial level as well. If we create a mandatory sexual harassment training session, what can it do for us on those fronts? Research shows that it tends to lead to raised profits due to the better work environment that it creates.
Obviously, that is something desirable to most of us. Who would not want to have higher productivity levels, right? How does it work, though, and why do we see this link? There are a few reasons behind it.
Namely, the fact of the matter is that when workers feel more safe and secure in their place of work, they are able to do their jobs more effectively. When we include the fact that many are required to work alongside their coworkers and will need to collaborate with them, well…it does seem like a no-brainer, right? We would never want to put them in any danger, especially since that could put our own status in jeopardy as well.
Amongst these reasons, though, we should take note of the fact that many states do require training of some sort for any organizations that employ fifty or more. Some even have that policy if you have one single employee under your jurisdiction. Keep that in mind if you are still not sold on the idea.
Final Thoughts
We can observe certain patterns in our societies and seek to change them one step at a time, and that is essentially what I am advocating for today. Obviously, one single company cannot put a stop to all harassment in the country. However, for each that decides to add programs and trainings, we are helping to mitigate the problem.
As you can read about in blogs like this one, they get results. That is probably the biggest reason to at least consider programs like the ones that I have described today. Some hesitations may include a reluctance to try to teach it on your own, which I do understand.
However, it is hardly a requirement to do that. In fact, a simple Google search will show you hundreds of companies that offer the courses without you having to lift a finger. Do not be afraid to explore them to figure out what might work for your own business.
Whether that is an online session (or several) or an in-person session, the information provided will be valuable and fresh. At least, that is the goal, so check in on the curriculum that they have to offer!