Anti-Harassment Programs Create Safer Workplaces

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(Editor’s Note: Today’s article is brought to you by  our friends at Poster Guard® Compliance Protection Service, a division of HRdirect , and the leading labor law poster service that gets your business up to date with all required federal, state and local labor law postings, and then keeps it that way — for an entire year. Enjoy the article!)

Organizations must create safe work environments for their employees. I know this might sound obvious, but over 85% of people who experience sexual harassment never file a formal charge and approximately 70%  never complain internally according to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC). 

In addition, a 2020 report by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) shows that 55.8% of retaliation complaints occur after reporting a sexual harassment claim. I don’t have to explain that this doesn’t contribute to the goal of creating a safe work environment for employees.

The question becomes what organizations can do to change it. And it starts with having a program to educate employees. But before I get into some specifics, there are three things I want to address about building a good foundation for anti-harassment programs.

Management teams need to be onboard with the program. And when I say management team, I mean the entire management team. There should be zero tolerance for harassment and zero tolerance for retaliation. Period.Yes, harassment is a legal matter. But that doesn’t mean the goal for harassment prevention training is to teach people the law. Be strategic in citing the law so it has the proper impact. While anti-harassment programs are a part of the organization’s overall compliance strategy, it could be helpful not to treat it like a “do this and check off a box” activity. This is about employees truly understanding the information.

Okay, now that we’ve talked about how to build a good foundation, let’s discuss a couple of specific things that organizations can do to educate employees and maintain compliance. Our friends at Poster Guard and HRdirect offer several different anti-harassment resources to suit your operational needs. Here’s a quick overview of what they provide:

Anti-Harassment Posters: Poster Guard offers posters that state the organization is “harassment free”, “prohibits sexual harassment”, and even one that talks about “political harassment”. These posters can be displayed in places where candidates see them during the hiring process and know the organization’s position. They can also be displayed in breakrooms as a reminder to employees about the company’s position and what to do if they have concerns.

Employee and Manager Training: Some employers erroneously believe they only need to provide anti-harassment training to employees in states and local jurisdictions that have statutes requiring it. Just as a reminder, there are currently several geographic areas that have specific training requirements (i.e., CA, CT, DE, IL, ME, NY, Chicago, and New York City). In addition to employee training, many organizations offer an additional session for managers, who might have an employee express concern directly to them. 

While there are states and cities with statutes requiring anti-harassment training, other federal, state, and local laws, along with court decisions have made it clear that employers should provide anti-harassment training to all employees (in all states). Organizations will want to keep in mind if they have a remote workforce, that they want to make sure employees receive the right training. 

HRdirect’s anti-harassment training can be delivered in-person, online, and self-paced. Personally, I think this is practical and gives employees the best learning environment. Organizations can offer options and continue to make providing employees with a safe work environment a priority. The sessions also include quiz questions to confirm the transfer of knowledge. This allows the organization to hold employees accountable for the content. 

What I really like about Poster Guard and HRdirect’s anti-harassment resources is the level of personalization it brings to the organization. We can make sure we’re delivering the right content. To everyone in the organization. In multiple formats so it stays engaging. With quiz questions to reinforce learning. This keeps the organization from falling behind on compliance because they “don’t have enough people for an in-person training class”. 

Organizations will want to make sure that all employees know what to do. An organization with a small management team might not have the resources to design and deliver their own training programs. Purchasing outside resources could be a great option.

Anti-harassment programs are an important topic for organizations and individuals. Give it the respect and attention it deserves. I hope you’ll check out Poster Guard’s anti-harassment poster offerings as well as HRdirect’s anti-harassment training. You can also download this eGuide on “Recognizing and Preventing Harassment: 5 Scenarios to Test Your Awareness”. This might be a great conversation starter within the organization about what harassment is and the risk it could pose to the organization. 

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