Sexual Harassment Training Evolving with #MeToo Movement

(Newswire.net — February 25, 2020) Lehi, UTAH — A new trend in training employees to recognize and report sexual harassment is becoming more popular with small business owners as they try to keep up with the #MeToo movement. Powerpoint presentations that listed rules and laws are being replaced with interactive presentations that teach employees how to react and make decisions if they experience sexual harassment.

“From the #MeToo movement to Netflix hit show Stranger Things, sexual harassment behavior that was once accepted and swept under the rug is now the center of attention across America,” says Dana Ball, a small business attorney who frequently assists her clients with sexual harassment training issues. “With the sweeping movement to eliminate sexual harassment, it is vital for any business owner to mandate employee training to significantly reduce the risk of a sexual harassment claim at the workplace.”

According to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), “unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical contact of a sexual nature constitute sexual harassment when this conduct explicitly or implicitly affects an individual’s employment, unreasonably interferes with an individual’s work performance, or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment.” 

Prevention, not avoidance, needs to be the primary goal of training according to Andrew Rodman. “Prevention starts with culture, and establishing and maintaining the proper culture starts at the top. Senior management must, by words and actions, demonstrate that equality is paramount and that harassing and discriminatory conduct will not be tolerated. It’s about leading by example…”

Everyone dreads the traditional workplace training and it isn’t very effective because it’s not usually relevant to the behavior occurring in your company. Every business is different and thus, every workplace is different. Training should be convenient and relevant to your specific workplace environment.

Supervisors are responsible for protecting the workplace environment. Their actions, or inactions, can increase a company’s liability depending on how they handle these situations. In order for supervisors to be prepared training needs to include:

• How to handle questions about company policies
• Intervene when they become aware of unlawful behavior
• Appropriately assist employees who have concerns
• Perform an investigation into unlawful behavior; and
• Be an example of civility

Training also needs to define what constitutes a hostile work environment, discrimination based on age, race, or disabilities, bullying, retaliation, and violence. Employees need to know your company promotes a safe work environment by preventing unlawful behavior.

 “There are a myriad of ways an employer can achieve the goal of eliminating harassment and discrimination in the workplace,” says Ball who started a new company, called Zoteria, which makes employee training more interactive and effective. “We’re working with all types of companies to turn their sexual harassment training into something that every employee can recognize and act accordingly, regardless of their diverse backgrounds.”