Sexual harassment in the workplace destroys the culture of an organization, affecting the performance of the employees. As the situation is challenging for employers to handle, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has defined certain ways to prevent it. One of them is anti-harassment training.
The commission recommends comprehensive training to avoid harassment and make the workplace environment respectful for all. In this post, we will discuss the role of EEOC, the primary components of the training and guidelines for employers.
Overview of the EEOC’s Role
The EEOC is a federal agency that was established under the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The agency enforces laws to prevent workplace discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, and genetic information.
The EEOC helps employers in implementing anti-harassment policies and training programs in the organization. It also conducts studies showing the importance of continuous, engaging, and customized anti-harassment training for employees.
Primary Components of Anti-Harassment Training Recommended by EEOC
As EEOC emphasizes anti-harassment training, it has defined its primary components. The components are the following:
Explain the roles of employees and managers
To prevent sexual harassment incidents, employees should know and understand their responsibilities. They should know when and how to react to the incident, maintaining workplace respect.
More than employees, managers and supervisors are responsible for preventing workplace harassment. So, they should receive additional training explaining their responsibilities.
Explain the organization’s reporting procedures
There is a well-defined reporting mechanism in an organization. The training should explain this mechanism so that employees know whom to report the incidents of harassment without being retaliated. There should be multiple channels for employees to report the incident.
Explain the consequences of harassment
When people don’t know the consequences of their actions, they don’t stop doing them. They repeat and harm others without any guilt. So, the sexual harassment training at the workplace should discuss the consequences of harassment, primarily focusing on legal consequences.
Make the content interactive and engaging
Not everyone takes an interest in the training because it’s different from other forms of training and boring. So, the EEOC recommends employers go beyond generic presentations and include interactive elements like role-plays, case studies, and Q&A sessions.
Guidelines for Employers by EECO
Customize the training program
As the culture of every organization is different, employers should customize the training program. It should respect the organization’s culture and train employees according to the defined policies of the organization. The training program should be relevant for the employees.
Training should be regular
Though employees can grasp everything with one-time training, it’s not enough. So, EEOC recommends regular training. This helps keep the policies and other practices related to workplace harassment at the top of employees’ minds.
Involve leaders in the training
Preventing harassment training is incomplete without senior leaders’ participation. They are the pillars of an organization to whom employees look for guidance. If they show their commitment by joining the training session, it sends a strong message to everyone that harassment will not be tolerated.
Closing Lines
The EEOC emphasizes anti-harassment training and has defined certain rules for the same. It has streamlined the training program, helping employers to implement them in their organizations.
To organize sexual harassment training for your employees, contact Sexual Harassment Disciplinary. We follow the principles of EEOC to train employees on harassment in the workplace.
