Harassment Training Research Articles

Why is progress toward diverse representation so slow? Contrasting management practices’ prevalence versus effectiveness for achieving diverse representation

While a proliferation of management practices have been implemented in organizations in recent decades to create equitable and high performing workforces, there has been little to no progress toward diverse managerial representation during this timeframe. Our review contrasts the effectiveness of management practices for increasing diverse representation in management with how often these practices are utilized in organizations, centrally implicating ineffective management practices for the slow pace of change in diversifying managerial ranks. Specifically, we unveil that organizations predominantly implement ineffective and counterproductive practices that undermine managerial diversity while infrequently implementing practices that increase managerial diversity. For example, paid diversity roles (e.g., chief diversity officer), formal mentoring programs, and DEI-focused recruitment are among the most effective practices but are infrequently implemented in organizations. In contrast, diversity and harassment training and grievance procedures are frequently utilized in organizations but are negatively related to diverse representation. We also provide examples of organizations implementing multiple effective practices and making meaningful progress toward diversifying their workforces.

Bystander Intervention in Bullying and Sexual Harassment Training: Mixed-Method Evaluation of NAB IT!

The goal of the current pilot study was to examine the effects of bystander intervention training on a sample of 27 high school students who were selected by their peers as opinion leaders. Measures of bystander intervention knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors were included in the within-subjects design. Sixteen of the students also participated in focus groups to provide feedback about their experiences with the training. Results showed that participating students reported increases in knowledge about bullying and sexual harassment, confidence in intervening, acceptance of responsibility, knowing what to do, and acting to intervene (including direct intervention, providing support, and reporting to an adult) from pre-to posttest. Themes from focus groups indicated that students found the training relevant and helpful, particularly for focusing on both bullying and sexual harassment and for providing opportunities to learn and practice multiple intervention strategies. Barriers to intervening based on the type of violence (e.g., physical vs. relational or verbal) and relationship with the people involved were also themes. Directions for future research and implications for practice, such as focusing on dissemination to the larger student body and implementing bystander intervention training within the context of a positive school climate that emphasizes social and emotional competencies, are discussed.

Is sexual misconduct training sufficient in the UK's medical schools: Results of a cross-sectional survey and opportunities for improvement.

Sexual misconduct adversely affects the mental and physical health of millions of people each year and has been declared a global pandemic. Incidence in both educational and clinical settings remains high. In the last 5 years, the NHS spent over £4 million settling sexual misconduct-related claims. Effective prevention requires training across all stages of career, beginning in clinical school. Here, we explore training in the UK's medical schools to identify provision and areas for improvement. Freedom of Information Act 2000 requests for data on training delivery and curricula content. 34 public UK universities offering medical education. not applicable. Provision and delivery of training, mode of delivery, theme, and continuation of training. All 34 universities responded. Twenty-two identified offering training. Seventeen made it compulsory. A review of curricula identified, however, only 18 did more just than mentioned sexual misconduct. Nine offered training more than once. Twelve did not offer training, of which three identified no plans to offer such training in the future. The most common delivery modes for training were workshops and lectures. The training was most often within the sexual health curriculum, disconnecting it from professionalism. There is no standardisation of sexual harassment training across the UK's public medical schools. Many future doctors will not have received relevant education when they assume posts in the NHS. Considering the magnitude of this issue and its critical connection to professionalism and collegiality, universities and professional bodies urgently should address this deficiency.

Sexual harassment: In the eye of the beholder?

This study examined different perceptions of sexual harassment behaviors in a workplace setting, based on the characteristics of the person observing harassment. Participants rated they extent to which they detected sexual harassment across a series of vignettes of varying levels of sexual harassment ambiguity. Participants’ (observers of the sexual harassment) gender, race, sexual orientation, and whether the individual had received sexual harassment training were examined. Interactions among these observer characteristics were also examined, in order to examine differences in perceptions of sexual harassment related to observers’ membership in intersectional groups. The results of the study indicated differences among perceptions in sexual harassment associated with the observers’ gender, sexual orientation, race, and sexual harassment training. A number of significant interactions were observed. Implications of these findings for theory and practice are discussed.

Board Wants to Make Employee Meetings Voluntary

When an employee is “on the clock,” they are usually obliged to follow their employer's instructions. To do otherwise is insubordination. Among their work duties, employers may require employees to attend meetings to receive information on matters of significance in the workplace—for example, new operational procedures, health and safety updates, harassment training, etc. Few can reasonably quarrel with the employer's right and the employee's obligation with respect to such work‐related meetings. After all, the employer is paying its employees to listen to information on workplace issues. However, when those workplace issues involve unionization, the rules could change.

Sexual harassment training and men's motivation to work with women

With the #MeToo movement generating renewed public attention to the problem of sexual misconduct, it is an important time to assess how sexual harassment training affects men's motivation to work with women. We conducted an experiment in which we exposed undergraduate men to sexual harassment policy training and then assessed their motivation to work with a female partner on a decision-making task. We employed a 2×2 design in which participants were randomly assigned to a policy condition (sexual harassment policy or control) and a team role (leader or subordinate). We found that policy training did not affect whether participants chose a female or male partner. However, we found that policy training led male participants to rate female partners as more dissimilar to them and that leadership status moderated the effect of policies on men's expressed anxiety about working with a female partner. Findings have implications for reducing sexual harassment and gender inequality.

The effects of sexual harassment training on proximal and transfer training outcomes: A meta‐analytic investigation

AbstractWidespread agreement that training can play a key role in addressing workplace sexual harassment (SH) has led to a dramatic increase in employer‐provided SH training around the world. However, summaries of published research have been qualitative in nature and have yielded inconsistent assessments of SH training's effectiveness in fulfilling that role. The study helps address those uncertain and sometimes conflicting assessments by providing the first meta‐analytic investigation of the relationships between SH training and changes in trainees. We found that the largest SH training effect was on declarative knowledge learning (δ = 1.06), followed by attitude change (δ = 0.41), procedural knowledge‐skills learning (δ = 0.39), and transfer outcomes (δ = 0.14). Significant moderating effects were found for scope of training, instructional method, and gender of trainees; however, the results varied by training outcome. The effect of SH training did not vary significantly as a function of the training delivery media, training duration, or training setting. Theoretical implications, directions for future research, and practical implications are discussed.

Reexamining Reasonableness: Modernizing the "Ellerth/Faragher" Defense

Named after the two 1998 U.S. Supreme Court decisions that established it, the Ellerth/Faragher defense is an affirmative defense generally available to employers who would otherwise be held liable for Title VII claims of supervisor harassment. If the supervisor’s behavior does not involve an adverse employment action, the employer may avoid liability if it can demonstrate that: (1) the employer exercised reasonable care to prevent and promptly correct unlawful harassment in the workplace, and (2) the aggrieved employee unreasonably failed to take advantage of any preventative or corrective opportunities provided by the employer or to avoid harm otherwise. As employers sought to implement measures that demonstrated reasonable care, sexual harassment training and anonymous phone hotlines emerged as common strategies to assert this affirmative defense. In the contemporary workplace, where digital communication reigns and remote working becomes the new norm, such mechanisms are both archaic and ineffective in the prevention and correction of sexual harassment. This Comment critically analyzes the federal judiciary’s low threshold for “reasonableness” under the Ellerth/Faragher defense, considering specifically interdisciplinary understandings of the dynamics that motivate sexual harassment and rapid advances in technology. In addressing the law’s outdated understanding ofreasonableness, the Comment proposes the federal judiciary should (1) reexamine what qualifies as reasonable in the #MeToo era, and (2) strongly consider arguments in favor of “reasonable” including more stringent standards of care for employers reflecting technological advancements. So long as the Ellerth/Faragher defense remains the law, it is incumbent upon the federal judiciary to seriously consider evidence demonstrating what is reasonable in the modern workplace. The goal of this Comment is to suggest a comprehensive interdisciplinary approach with real-world impact—to prevent sexual harassment, rather than to correct—which carries the added benefit of mitigating employer liability.

Vaccine Hesitancy Narratives

Vaccine Hesitancy Narratives

The Unique Aesthetics of Organizational Climate that Contribute to the Prevalence of Sexual Harassment Incidents within the Restaurant Industry

ABSTRACT Sexual harassment is pervasive globally within hospitality organizations. This conceptual study identifies organizational climate characteristics that make the restaurant work environment unique as compared to other industries. The work environment is based upon keeping the customer happy, includes gender gaps in power structures, emphasis on appearances, entrepreneurial in nature, the physical work environment, and alcohol is served. A framework for sexual harassment training must consider organizational factors, pre/post training, design, and evaluation. The study also provides a framework for sexual harassment training given these distinctive esthetics.

Modern Sexism in Modern Times Public Opinion in the #Metoo Era

Abstract Issues of sexual assault, sexual harassment, and gendered power imbalances have risen to prominence in the wake of the 2016 US presidential election and the rise of the #MeToo movement. This paper uses original panel and cross-sectional data to assess the degree to which levels of sexism have changed in response to current events, and finds very little change in levels of sexism from 2004 to 2018. The results also suggest that modern sexism significantly correlates with views undercutting the pervasiveness of sexual misconduct, purporting that #MeToo has gone too far, and opposing mandatory workplace harassment training, among other beliefs. Overall, the evidence suggests that modern sexism is firmly entrenched in the public mind and readily connected to public opinion in the wake of #MeToo.

‘Training the next generation HR practitioners’: Reflecting on HRM student experiences of sexual harassment training

Despite prohibitive legislation and organizational policies and training, high rates of sexual harassment persist in the hospitality industry, a situation that is concerning to organizations and researchers alike. As management educators, we embedded a sexual harassment lecture within the context of a human resource management degree, with the aim of developing the capacity of the future human resource practitioner workforce to address sexual harassment. The reflective journals of these students, collected over a three-year period, reveal that while participants found the session improved their understanding of sexual harassment myths and remedies, many still questioned their ability to act within the context of wider organizational dynamics. Our analysis leads us to conclude that sexual harassment training sessions are a valuable and necessary starting point for developing intolerance. However, if we are truly committed to eradicating sexual harassment, then a much broader and integrated approach is required that includes redressing the limitations of the current legal systems, broadening the scope of education within the wider community and developing intolerant organizational climates.

Retaliation against employees in the USA: an analysis in terms of organizational behavior

Purpose – The number of retaliation charges filed with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has been increasing dramatically over last decade. This analysis is grounded on the USA regulations and a merged city and a county local government in the USA. Organizational analysis was based on the work of Bolman and Deal (2008). This study's aim was to explore the relationships between organizational behavior and retaliation against employees in the USA and increase attention among scholars for further research as well. Although retaliation is classified under discrimination it is taken as a special charge. Methodology– The recent lawsuit examples demonstrate the apparent costly conflict within the local government, organizational structure and its systems are reviewed to explore if they are causing negative conflicts in the organization. Bolman and Deal's (2008) strategy is applied to the studied local government in the USA. To be able to understand the relationships between the local governmental structure and retaliation problems is deeply analyzed on structural, human resources, political, and symbolic frames. Most of the retaliation cases took place at the Division of Community Correction. To explore if there are internal contributors’ effects to the problem requirements for a job application and job descriptions of a correction officer are investigated and compared with other organizations’ job description for the same position, as well as training requirements. Findings – This study revealed several problems that the studied local government needs to address to prevent retaliation cases. First of all, the local government doesn’t have an established culture, and because of that, the employees are not sure how to behave or act when they face challenges. Although organizational symbols exist to eliminate confusion, ambiguity to provide direction, to secure hope and faith in organizations, the local government doesn’t have clear symbols. While stories convey values and serve as powerful modes from the tyranny of facts and logic, the local government’s employees are afraid of speaking out about some issues, and bad stories pass from employees to employees. In terms of policies, the study discovered that whatever stated officially is not in use. Harassment training is given to new beginners and never reoffered to current employees. Broken and unclear communication is another finding that might be leading to organizational problems. Conclusion – The increasing number of costly retaliation cases in the United States needs more attention to the causes to solve this problem. Public agencies are funded by taxes paid by households and companies to the government to receive services such as water, roads, education etc. Public agencies’ high lawsuit settlement payments jeopardize the public’s rights to have services. These problems have some indirect costs which should be taken into account. Currently, little attention is paid to the subject by scholars, and therefore it needs to be explored more. The results of the study would apply to many organizations including public and private sector.

Sexual Harassment Training Focused Solely on Protecting Organizations From Lawsuits Won't Change a Toxic Culture for Women to an Inclusive One

The location where workplace sexual harassment occurs points to the importance of workplace structures and practices for the precipitation of sexual harassment. In fact, some of the current theoretical explanations of sexual harassment focus primarily on organizational features that may facilitate sexual harassment, such as hierarchies and organizational cultures. Organizational literature suggests that in recent decades there has been a trend toward increased use of organizational practices that might empower workers, make organizations more inclusive, and constructively change organizational cultures through interventions. Assumptions about men and women contained in hegemonic gender beliefs can become embedded in organizational structures, authority lines, job classifications, institutional rules, and employee interactions. This paper explores these notions through a case study of an organizational intervention and a content analysis of the literature.

Evaluating Bystander Intervention Training to Address Patient Harassment at the Veterans Health Administration.

One in four women veteran patients report experiencing sexual and gender harassment when attending the Veterans Health Administration (VA) for health care. Bystander intervention-training community members how to intervene when witnessing inappropriate behaviors-is a common approach for addressing harassment in school and military settings. We evaluated implementation of a VA harassment awareness and bystander intervention training that teaches health care staff how to identify and intervene in the harassment of women veteran patients. Participants included 180 VA staff, including both providers and administrative staff from one VA state health care system, who participated in harassment training during the first year of implementation. Pretest and post-test evaluation surveys included questions on acceptability of training length and relevance, staff experiences with harassment, perceptions of the training, and four short-term attitudinal outcomes: awareness of harassment, barriers to intervening, self-efficacy for intervening, and intentions to intervene. At pretest, most staff reported witnessing harassment, yet fewer than one-half had intervened. By post-test, staff reported significantly decreased barriers to intervening and increased awareness, self-efficacy, and intentions to intervene. Belief that harassment is a problem increased from 42.4% to 75.0%. The majority of staff found the training relevant and appropriate in length. Staff felt the most useful aspects of the training were learning how to intervene, group discussion, effective facilitation, and information on harassment. We found that a bystander approach was acceptable to health care staff and efficacious on short-term outcomes. Bystander intervention may be a promising strategy to address harassment among patients in medical facilities.

The Role of Trainer Characteristics in Intern Sexual Harassment Training Effectiveness

Sexual harassment has received considerable attention in the United States over the last several years, as evidenced by the #MeToo movement. During this time, it has become evident that sexual hara...

Who else besides (White) women? The need for representation in harassment training

Who else besides (White) women? The need for representation in harassment training

Trainees as consumers? How marketing can revitalize sexual harassment and racial discrimination training

Trainees as consumers? How marketing can revitalize sexual harassment and racial discrimination training

Can harassment and discrimination training be less WEIRD?

Can harassment and discrimination training be less WEIRD?

One size does not fit all: Taking trainees’ personal characteristics into consideration in sexual harassment and racial discrimination training

One size does not fit all: Taking trainees’ personal characteristics into consideration in sexual harassment and racial discrimination training