Tips For Educating Employees On Sexual Harassment

When employers want to educate their workers on sexual harassment, they should go over the policy and company-wide support in an engaging way.

Workers in California may face conflict when on the job. Some employees may even suffer from sexual harassment of one form or another. According to the National Public Radio, an online survey found that 43 percent of men and 81 percent of women across the country were sexually harassed at some point. Of those people, 77 percent of the women and 34 percent of the men were verbally assaulted. While this type of harassment can take place outside of the workplace, many employers try to implement policies to keep their workers safe from these unwanted advances.

Outline The Policy

Going over the policy and any changes that have been made since the last training can help each worker better understand what the company expects of them. Potential points to go over include the following:

• Definition of sexual harassment according to the Fair Employment and Housing Act
• Explanation of what to do if harassed
• Description of consequences for the wrongdoer

While employees may not love to hear about the nitty gritty of the policy, everyone needs to know exactly what is expected at the workplace. By outlining the policy, all employees are put on the same page about what to do and what not do to when it comes to harassment.

Emphasize The Support

Even after the harassment policy has been explained, some workers may worry that not all leaders feel strongly about an anti-harassment workplace. The training should confirm that even those at the executive level are on board with these types of policies. Trainers can point out this support by going over how supervisors, managers and other higher-ups will handle a sexual harassment claim. Giving details about the resources available to victims of this type of aggravation can further underline the company’s support for an anti-harassment workplace. This emphasis can help employees on lower levels feel more confident in coming forward with complaints.

Make It Engaging

Not every aspect of a team meeting is going to be engaging, but if employers want the knowledge to stick in the minds of the staff, this type of meeting needs to be interactive. One simple way to make the audience participate in the training is to ask questions. When employees have to supply part of the answer, it may help everyone pay more attention to the subject matter. The person running the training could also use hypothetical scenarios and skill-building activities to encourage discussion among the group.

California residents should not have to suffer from sexual harassment while at work. If workers are harassed or discriminated against, it may be beneficial to work with an attorney who is familiar with this type of discrimination and harassment case.