The term “sexual harassment” has been coined a long time ago to define hostile behavior aimed at someone based on their sex. That was a huge step forward when it comes to preventing harassment, but we cannot claim that the problem has been solved today. Sure, the extent of it might not be as serious as it was in the past, but the simple truth is that the problem still persists and that employers need to do something to prevent it from arising in their workplace. Here are some examples of harassment in general.
As mentioned, employers are those who need to do something in order to prevent harassment in the workplace. So, if you are an employer, you are now probably wondering what it is that you need to do. The law clearly states that such behavior is prohibited and punishable, but that’s often not enough for it to be prevented. That’s because a lot of people are sometimes afraid to even speak up about what’s going on, meaning that they’ll continue to be the victims for fear of losing their jobs.
That has to change, and employers have a huge role to play in it. Since you’re wondering what it is that you can do about it, let me cut right to the chase and tell you what you need to know. Basically, there are sexual harassment prevention trainings that you can have conducted in your company with the aim of preventing such hostile behavior. All your employees need to go to the training and thus contribute to a safe work environment.
There is a chance, though, that you aren’t exactly certain how those trainings can actually help. So, you don’t really understand their importance, meaning that you are on the fence about whether you should provide those to your employees or not. Well, I’ll now tell you about a few reasons why these trainings are extremely important for your company, and you’ll thus get a better idea about it all and manage to decide all on your own whether this is something you want and need to do.
Here’s some more info about the importance of it: https://www.hg.org/legal-articles/sexual-harassment-prevention-training-why-is-it-important-58260
The Law Requires It Sometimes
Let me begin with one of the main reasons why employers decide to provide their staff with these types of trainings nowadays. Simply put, it might be required by law. This depends on the state you are in, meaning that you should always check state laws regarding harassment trainings, with the aim of understanding whether you are required to do this or whether it might be up to you to make the choice. Of course, I believe that doing it is important even if you’re not required to, but if the law says it, then it is definitely even more significant.
You Help Your Staff Understand What Constitutes Harassment
Part of the problem lies in the fact that a lot of employees aren’t exactly sure as to what constitutes sexual, or any kind of harassment for that matter. They don’t know what’s okay and what’s not okay, meaning that they can let certain behaviors slide even if they don’t feel comfortable about those. They might assume that the uncomfortable feelings are their fault and that the other person has definitely done nothing wrong even if he or she has done a lot of things wrong.
This certainly has to stop. So, as the employer, you can provide your staff with these trainings in order to help them understand clearly what constitutes harassment. That way, they will be able to always recognize those inappropriate behaviors and stop wondering whether they should just let it slide or not. After all, if someone lets one thing slide, the problem can get out of control as time passes by, and you don’t want that to happen.
You Encourage People To Speak Up
It is not enough for your employees to simply notice those inappropriate behaviors. In addition to that, they also need to speak up about it. And, yet, a lot of people are afraid to do that. When you, however, organize a New York state sexual harassment prevention training and get your staff properly informed about their rights, you’ll encourage them to speak up if something inappropriate happens to them.
You Teach Them How To Act If They Notice Inappropriate Behavior
Of course, some people might be too afraid to speak up even after those trainings. That’s when you’ll have to rely on the people around them to take appropriate action when they notice inappropriate behavior. Well, that is another important reason why you should organize those trainings for your staff. You will teach them how to act and what to do when they notice something like this, meaning that you’ll be able to nip and problems in the bud.
