Manager Sexual Harassment Training in California Shouldn’t Be an Afterthought
A recent trend we have noticed when it comes to sexual harassment prevention training is a split in the way managers and non-managers are viewed. Many companies that understand the importance of in-person training, with the ability for attendees to ask questions and to get a clearer understanding of the boundaries, don’t seem to attach the same importance when it comes to manager sexual harassment training in California, instead opting for online videos to do the job.
When you think about it, the logic of this is upside down. Managers are the ones who must have a clear understanding of the boundaries of what constitutes unlawful workplace harassment, abusive conduct, or bias, yet their employers are satisfied that they will get all this information from an online video? When I ask decision makers about this, their responses are generally in two categories: either they think that the required two-hour harassment prevention training is too much time away from work, or they think that their managers already know everything there is to know, so why put them through it again. Both of these answers seem to concede the point that the online training will not add much or will not really take two hours of attention. What a disservice they are doing not only to their managers, but to the non-managers who must rely on them to be arbiters and set the standard for appropriate behavior. When a company decides that online videos are good enough for manager training, they are sending a terrible signal to the workforce.
At Bridge Training Consultants, we use the second hour of the manager training to present real-world scenarios and challenge the attendees to decide how they would handle them, and why. Out of this comes understanding and agreement. Managers get a better idea of when and why to take action, of signs that lead to trouble, and ways to caution their workers so as to avoid incidents that come from a lack of knowledge. Managers must be the experts, and they must be trusted. If they don’t have the current information, how can they be expected to arbitrate? And if they do not know how and why to stop potential harassment and abusive behavior, they will not be respected. Additionally, one of the most common forms of sexual harassment in the workplace is quid pro quo: managers expecting sexual favors in return for lenient or preferential treatment of the people who work for them. To whitewash the damage that this behavior can cause to the morale of the entire workforce is to be complicit when problems inevitably occur. Harassment prevention training and a solid, easily accessible harassment prevention policy are vital in protecting the employees and the business.
This is especially important for California employers, who must ensure their harassment prevention policy, retaliation prevention policy, and employee handbook reflect current state and federal law. It’s not enough for managers to meet the legal minimum; they need to understand harassment based on sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression well enough to recognize it before it becomes a bigger problem.
When managers receive training from Bridge Training Consultants, they are free to ask questions, discuss solutions, and come to an agreement on the best way to handle situations. This sexual harassment training is invaluable to new managers and a helpful reminder to those who have been in their positions for a significant portion of time, as standards and behaviors have changed over time. For companies that need more flexibility, a hybrid sexual harassment and workplace violence training format can combine live discussion with a more adaptable schedule. Even so, online videos are no substitute for in-person training, and that should definitely apply to managers as well.