What is Harassment Training and Why Does it Matter?

Managing a work environment can be difficult, to say the least. The hidden challenges that crop up with little to no warning sometimes blindside us, leaving us uncertain about what to do. Some of these come in the form of harassment allegations or scandals, which if not handled properly, can permanently damage the reputation of a company.

How can we prevent this from happening, though? Well, as you have probably heard before, prevention is generally the best medicine. Today, I will discuss why harassment training is a good investment to make for your business. So, if that sounds like something you want to learn more about, be sure to continue reading!

Reputation is Everything 

I want you to take a moment and picture one of the most effective forms of advertisement and marketing. What first pops into your mind? If you were thinking of word-of-mouth marketing, you are correct in just how effective it can truly be.  

Ideally, it involves a customer recommending your company, brand, or products to the people they know. This is usually family members, friends, or other loved ones. They are thus more likely to try out the recommendation because it comes from someone they trust.  

However, the inverse of this comes when negative word-of-mouth can have severe consequences for your business. You can read more about that in this article. If there is a scandal or some sort of harassment allegations or even a legal case, it can make for some poor public image in result. Obviously, that is not a good thing.

How Can Training Help?

As I mentioned above, one of the better ways to handle harassment scandals is to prevent them before they happen. Obviously, this is not the only solution out there, but let me explain why it can be so helpful in maintaining a healthy and happy work environment for employees and employers alike.

Harassment can have a very negative effect on an office or place of work.  While it can be difficult to spot at times, that does not lessen its insidious presence or the impacts it can have on a person’s emotional and physical well-being. That is part of why something like sexual harassment training may be something to consider.  

You see, demonstrating potential warning signs that it is occurring can help employees or employers to identify an issue in its early stages, rather than letting it get serious enough to warrant something like a lawsuit. It can also help them to identify if their own behavior might be harmful to someone else in the space.

It is easy to pass a lot of things that constitute as harassment as a simple joke or friends having a good time. However, the underlying implications of some statements, even if they are not conscious ones, can reflect a larger societal standard. Often, these are referred to as microaggressions.

Microaggressions: Why they aren’t so Micro After All

If you have been paying attention to the news any time in the past few years, you have probably noticed the important revival of the Civil Rights movement, not just in the United States but across the world. A lot of us have started to look more critically at our interactions at work and have found them to be severely lacking in sensitivity.  

 You can go here to read a bit more of this topic if you are unfamiliar. That being said, right now, more than ever, it is critical that we educate ourselves. If we do not, we will be more likely to perpetrate these harmful practices.

A microaggression is, simply put, a comment or action that is made about someone that references something about them that they cannot change. So, that could be their skin tone, their gender, their religion, their ethnicity, their sexuality, or more. Obviously, none of these are welcome or wanted actions.

We may not realize it, but they can also all fall under the umbrella of harassment in a workplace. That is why we should do our best to discourage such practices and instead promote an atmosphere of acceptance and welcoming. It may not feel necessary in an office, for example, but the efforts will pay off.

Is Training Worth it?

Having a training session proctored by someone else, or even hosted online, can make a big difference. While at the end of the day it is your choice as a business owner or person in a management position to decide whether to outsource the program or create it yourself, either way you need to provide some sort of instruction. In many states, it is required by law.

So, if you are looking to offer an extensive curriculum, training programs are likely worth it. Largely, it will up to your discretion.