Harvey Weinstein. Matt Lauer. Roger Ailes. Dozens of terminations at Uber. Allegations in the United States Government. The #MeToo Campaign.
Over the last year, few industries or groups have been left out of the headlines as allegations of sexual harassment dominate the news. These recent events and allegations have left companies wondering what their exposures are related to unreported cases of harassment. And employees inside organizations are asking questions: have I done something inappropriate I don’t know about? Is it harassment if I ask a co-worker out on a date? If I’m not offended by a risqué joke someone told, why might that still be in violation of our workplace policy?
These are all great questions, and now is the time to answer them.
The term sexual harassment was first coined in the 1970s by Lin Farley, professor at Cornell University, and since then legislation was passed outlawing sexual harassment as a form of discrimination. What’s clear is that despite laws prohibiting sexual harassment, a cultural problem still exists.
What is also taking shape is a shifting norm in society – a growing awareness and accountability that certain behaviors are not acceptable and individuals who previously were hesitant to speak up are now coming forward.
There are steps organizations can take right now to create and maintain an inclusive culture where everyone feels comfortable to do their best work before they are thrust into the spotlight. The best route is employee education and training as a way to prevent harassment, and therefore, lawsuits.
For over a decade, the Supreme Court and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) have strongly encouraged anti-harassment training for all employees, though it’s not a requirement for private employers except for a few states, including California, Maine, and Massachusetts. Yet, when lawsuits have been settled, sometimes organizations have been punished for not having preventative training in place.
When facilitating the Harassment Prevention Training for Managers and Employees at Human Capital Next, we focus on several key objectives, including custom topics that zero in on specific challenges your industry or culture may be facing. The training takes employees through an exploration of the following topics using a variety of interactive activities:
- How is harassment defined by law, sexual and otherwise?
- What behaviors cross the line into harassment, including sexual harassment?
- What behaviors are inappropriate, but perhaps not illegal?
- What is the company policy on harassment? How does that differ from the thresholds established by the law?
- How would an employee report harassment if he or she saw or experienced it at work?
- How can all employees prevent harassment at work?
- How would an employee tell an abuser to stop harassing them?
- What is the manager’s role in identifying and preventing harassment? What is their personal liability?
Given that in fiscal year 2016 alone the EEOC resolved over 30,000 sexual harassment charges and settled $125 million in monetary benefits, it is smart business to invest in training employees proactively, and every two years ongoing, to ensure that a culture of respectfulness takes root across the organization. Doing so results in the creation of constructive, professional relationships focused on the outcomes of the organization and raises the internal bar for accountability and awareness.
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Shelly Price is the Principal Consultant and President of Human Capital Next, LLC, which focuses on human resources project consulting services and interim support. Shelly specializes in custom training and leadership development and facilitation, culture and engagement survey and assessment, and employee relations. Shelly holds an MBA degree and is certified to use the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI) Instrument, FourSight® Thinking Profile, and DiSC® assessment. She holds a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) designation from the HR Certification Institute and is an Organization Development Certified Professional from the Institute of Organization Development in Fort Myers, Florida.
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