How Recent Trends Impact Workplace Sexual Harassment Training

Sexual harassment is a crime that may happen anywhere, not just to women but also to men. It may cause trauma to its victim to a certain degree. Given how much danger it could bring to someone, organizations manage to make alternative options to prevent this from happening as much as possible and protect their members. 

For employees, their respective managements launch workplace sexual harassment training. It may educate them about identifying acceptable and unacceptable acts of their colleagues and how to deal with inappropriate actions accordingly. 

Other tools and strategies are oriented to this training from time to time to improve its effectiveness. Read on to find out more. 

Creative Presentation 

Some employees may find workplace sexual harassment training uninteresting even though it's vital to their safety. After all, it's somehow similar to traditional fire prevention, earthquake drill, and other calamity-related orientation that they are required to attend at least once a year. To make it more appealing, organizers tend to apply recent trends to the training as much as possible. Employees may find it interesting to attend if they find it more relatable.  

For example, presenters may express an idea about sexual harassment in the workplace in the form of a meme, one that is popular and entertaining. Ensure that it is presented in a way that would not be demeaning and still exhibit sexual harassment as a serious matter to be cautious of at all times.  

By making it appear lighter, employees may see it more with hope. The topic alone can be heavy, so a brighter way of presenting it may give the workers an impression that their safety is a priority of the company. It may also dramatically reduce the number of words to be shown in their visual aids. This way, the focus will be on the graphics that could be retained more in their memories and serve as a reminder to always be on guard. 

Previewing Sexual Harassment-Related News As A Reminder 

Some employees don't want to give much attention to this kind of training because they cannot perceive how critical it is to their well-being and how tremendous the damage sexual harassment could bring to their lives.  

Some may see the training as just an opportunity to take an extended break if the management launches the orientation during work hours. Thus, it’s crucial to find a way to draw attendance to the training. 

Organizers may include recent news based on someone else's experience to highlight the magnitude of the training. This is to show employees that the management is serious about keeping them from experiencing the same unfortunate event.  

In addition, there may be news related to sexual harassment that mentions recent laws that help protect a person from sexual offenders. Others may see it as a predicament or as if they're helpless once they become a victim. Workplace sexual harassment training may include these in the discussion to remind workers that the government recognizes the deed as a crime and that they're willing to bring wrongdoers to justice once proven guilty before the rule of law. Presenters may also remind workers that they may report to their company's security personnel so the management can take action as soon as possible. 

Indeed, news about sexual harassment may instill greater consciousness among employees. Some may not even be aware that sexual harassment has already happened to them or are just too scared to talk about it with someone, even to their closest friends. The training can educate workers that other groups and institutions are more than willing to help.  

Recent Trends Spark Misconceptions 

Determining someone as a wrongdoer may be tricky because there are cases where the other person didn't do the deed on purpose. The training may mention that it's critical to know colleagues' behavior. They may act friendly and joke around, but are unaware that the person they're touching and talking to is no longer comfortable with their company. They may need some honest response instead of unnecessary sanctions.  

More women become victims of sexual harassment compared to men. With recent trends highlighted in the orientation, men may become more cautious when around their female co-workers after the training.  

Sexual harassment is of three types:  

Physical 

• Unwanted touching  
• Staying too close or following without consent on purpose 
• Making sexually suggestive gestures and expressions 

Visual 

• Showing other people videos, pictures, or texts with sexual content 
• Drawing demeaning figures and images 

Verbal/Written 

• Uttering sexually suggestive messages  
• Blackmailing to force sexual contact 

Conclusion 

Sexual harassment can bring danger even to employees at work. With workplace sexual harassment training, they can be more equipped with the knowledge to protect themselves. Even so, traditional orientation may be less effective when educating more workers. Resorting to innovative ideas, such as relating topics with recent trends, may draw a larger crowd in.