Harassment

Much of the problem with sexual harassment in the workplace lies in the fundamental difference in perceptions that men and women have of appropriate words and behavior. What men think is appropriate is many times completely opposite of what women think is appropriate. Misconceptions and misunderstandings lead to behaviors that are construed as hostile work place harassment. There are several specific behaviors that remain pervasive in the workplace.

Sexual Harassment. Everyone seems to know what it is and yet the stories in the media of its occurrence seem to be unending. The latest high profile alleged perpetrator is Herman Cain, but Mr. Cain is in a long line of men and women who have had their careers jeopardized by sexual harassment charges. So why does it still occur if most people are educated on it. There are many reasons, but the most prevalent are a sense of invincibility due to power, the belief that by the perpetrator that he or she is different than others and simple ignorance. The effect of all three of these reasons can be mitigated by organization-wide sexual harassment training.

Sexual harassment videos are one of the most effective tools available to a trainer when educating employees on this sensitive topic. The visual aspect of video training makes the training more memorable and therefore the learning sticks. Sexual harassment training can be uncomfortable for both trainers and participants. Videos do the "heavy lifting" so to speak and make the training less difficult and uncomfortable. In addition, sexual harassment videos are thoroughly researched and developed. They save the trainer time and effort. Here are the most popular/best-selling programs of 2011.

In the workplace we all have labels - manager, supervisor, line-worker, assistant, electrician, engineer. We accept these labels without much thought because they help define our roles in our work life, however there are other labels that unfortunately crop up in the workplace. These other labels are dangerous and in some case bring sexual harassment. Every organization's sexual harassment training should encompass this topic.
 

It's become all too common in the instance of sexual harassment complaints. The victim is blamed. Why does this behavior occur and what can organizations do about it? It comes down to both power and preconceived notions by coworkers and it can be thwarted by a well-defined sexual harassment training policy. Here are some of the most common reasons a victim can be blamed.
Harassment is first and foremost about power and in many cases harassment occurs when a powerful member of an organization harasses a less powerful member. Powerful members of an organization have generally been in the organization longer than a less powerful individual. Co-workers have known them longer and have developed a stronger relationship with them. It is natural that they would have back the employee they know better.
 

Retaliation as a result of a sexual harassment complaint is all too common in the workplace. Often times the victim of harassment faces much more stress and damage in the aftermath of a complaint than they got from the original harassment. Many studies have shown that as many as 50% of harassment victims were more traumatized by the aftermath than they were by the actual harassment. It is imperative that all companies have Sexual Harassment training in the area of retaliation as part of their harassment training classes.

There are a number of behaviors that could lead to illegal workplace harassment. When continuous and unwanted behaviors are insensitive or offensive and focus around a difference or perceived difference, they can reach the level of illegal workplace harassment. Workplace harassment training should focus on the various types of behaviors that are considered offensive. It does not hurt to specifically spell out a number of these behaviors to make sure there is complete employee understanding in your harassment training.

Sexual Harassment in the workplace is illegal and causes a myriad of morale and productivity issues for an organization. As a result, Sexual Harassment has disciplinary consequences for employees. These consequences are an important part of Sexual Harassment training. Make sure that every employee knows exactly what the result of non-compliance with your organization's sexual harassment policy and what steps the company will take when the policy is broken.

There are numerous behaviors that could lead to sexual harassment in the workplace. We are all used to the examples we see in TV or movies about the manager who demands sexual favors from his workers, but although this obvious version of harassment still exists, it now occurs mostly in the form of Hostile Environment Harassment. This type of harassment occurs when sexual behaviors are unwanted and continuous and create an intimidating, hostile or offensive working enviroment. Sexual Harassment training should include every behavior listed below.

Hostile Environment Sexual Harassment is the most common harassment to occur in the workplace today.  Companies need to be cognizant of this type of harassment and make sure that their sexual harassment training covers every aspect of it.  Here are some facts about Hostile Environment harassment.