Five-and-a-half percent of American women experience sexual harassment, thirty percent have worked in an unsafe workplace, and twenty-five percent have been the target of a quid pro quo. Studies have revealed that males report sexual harassment at a rate of one out of every two occurrences, although the victims of sexual harassment are most often women.
What is even more frightening and worrisome are findings that have come out of the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (https://iwpr.org/)(IWPR). These reports demonstrate that just one in ten victims officially disclose occurrences of sexual harassment. Reasons, why nine people don’t report sexual harassment, include the following:
- Embarrassment
- Retaliation
- A deficiency in the availability of complaint methods
The issue that arises next is, “How can we alter the narrative, especially in light of these terrible statistics?” Training to prevent sexual harassment is one possible response. Let’s take a look at the ways in which sexual harassment training may help your company and how it can give a comprehensive strategy for dealing with this problem.
Aspects of sexual harassment education Before we dig into the advantages of mandatory training, it is beneficial to first have an understanding of some of its major components. Training on sexual harassment should include the following:
- Define sexual harassment
- Give an example of a hostile setting and a quid pro quo.
- Should lay forth in detail the disciplinary measures that will be taken for harassment
- Inform employees against retaliation (a corporation should forbid retaliating against a reporter).
The training needs to have:
- Outline the procedure of the inquiry and corrective action.
- Consider the ramifications for the law.
- If a firm does not already have a policy, they may create one and make sure it is visible to all of its workers by posting it in a central spot.
Training on sexual harassment in the workplace has several benefits
There is a statement that has been so overused that it has become a cliché: “Information is power.” People are given the ability to act and make decisions about things that are important to them when they have access to knowledge.
As was said before, a sizeable proportion of those who have been subjected to sexual harassment choose to keep their mouths shut out of fear and because their places of employment do not have enough procedures in place to deal with the problem. In other cases, persons in senior management positions may lack the knowledge necessary to respond appropriately to allegations of sexual harassment in the workplace.
Surprisingly, many workplaces lack a formal anti-harassment policy, and some managers aren’t even aware of the legal ramifications of sexual harassment. Training on how to avoid sexual harassment is supposed to be beneficial not just to the employee, but also to the company.
Those advantages accruing to the worker
Employees who have received mandatory training on sexual harassment are more likely to have a solid understanding of the issue, as well as the steps to take, the appropriate authorities to contact, and the best practices for preventing it from occurring to other workers. Employees who inadvertently assist in a hostile atmosphere at work will learn of their immoral conduct and legal consequences. Training on sexual harassment, which helps to avoid improper conduct and develops a positive work culture among workers, is quite beneficial.
Training for managers to prevent sexual harassment has several benefits
Training for managers on how to avoid and respond to allegations of sexual harassment equips company leaders with the knowledge and skills necessary to effectively address such allegations when they arise.
Because employees did not obtain assistance from management for whatever reason at the time, the majority of persons who sue companies for sexual harassment do so because they felt they had no other option. Conducting training for your managers on sexual harassment is an effective way to decrease incidences of this kind. Managers are trained to be advocates against sexual harassment and to give assistance to their employees.
Why should one spend in training to prevent sexual harassment?
They are pondering whether or not it would be beneficial for your firm to participate in sexual harassment prevention training. If you care about the health and happiness of your workers, as well as their productivity and the rate of return on your investment, then you need to do this.
When workers feel dissatisfied as a result of the hostile atmosphere in which they are required to do their jobs, this leads to decreased productivity. It’s possible that your business may drive away some of the best employees in the industry. You will be able to increase productivity and employee satisfaction with the implementation of a sexual harassment training program, which will ultimately lead to a reduction in employee turnover at your organization.