As more victims speak out about allegations regarding sexual harassment in the workplace, many employers must confront gaps in their sexual harassment training and reporting policies. According to an employment attorney who served on the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) task force on harassment, one of the primary reasons most harassment training fails is because employees “zone out” and don’t pay attention to the training. As most online training courses are stilted and not engaging, face-to-face role-play classes and training are recommended.  

In its report on harassment last year, the EEOC admitted that the last three decades of sexual harassment training haven’t worked. While online training courses can be cheaper, easier, and take less time, they are often used just to “check a box” for the EEOC. While these exercises my assist an employer in limiting its legal liability, they may not successfully or effectively reduce the actual harassment in the workplace. In today’s climate, researchers say employers not only need to have effective, interactive, and engaging sexual harassment training systems, but must also create a workplace culture that rejects harassment. Creating such a culture may involve introducing different types of training into the workplace, including bystander training, civility training, and training tailored for the particular workplace. For example, a restaurant’s training may differ significantly from a law firm’s. 

Employers should also be vigilant in requiring all employees – including managers and executives – to participate in sexual harassment training. As we’ve seen in the media recently, exempting company leadership from these requirements can be problematic.

Given the current climate and the dozens of sexual harassment claims arising out of the workplace and making the news, employers may be well served to evaluate their sexual harassment training and investigation systems. Rather than just “checking the box” and going through the motions, you might consider taking this opportunity to revamp your program to increase the likelihood of its effectiveness in eliminating workplace harassment. Martin Pringle’s employment attorneys are experienced in assisting employers with harassment policies, training, and investigations, if you have any questions.