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It’s not hard for workplace sexual harassment trainings to look like something out of The Office—littered with political incorrectness and women shaking their heads, breaking the fourth wall, hoping someone else is seeing the ridiculousness of it all.
Since the #metoo movement began over a year ago, there has been a lot of conversation about workplace sexual harassment. However, it’s largely been focused on individual cases, not cultures. And the consequences have been largely discussed on an individual basis—this one gets fired, that one gets sentenced. However, there are many more consequences that should be happening to address the inappropriate workplace cultures and conversations around sexual harassment.
Most companies hold very awkward sexual harassment trainings—at least for their management team—in order to protect the company from being vulnerable to lawsuit. Why not start rethinking your company’s sexual harassment trainings as a way of setting the stage for a new, more equitable culture in your office?
It’s important to consider that the people (your employees, your management team, your leadership team) who attend your training may themselves be victims of sexual harassment. Therefore, consider providing a training that is trauma-informed—a training that takes into account the trauma that has already happened and is coming into the room with your team.
This training is an opportunity to be frank, to inform culture, and to demonstrate your leadership against toxic work environments. Take the time now, 1 year after #metoo started, to refresh your sexual harassment training curriculum. Want help figuring out how to do this? Let’s talk about it.