Six Reasons for Sexual Harassment Trainings in an Organization

According to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC), there were over 734,630 sexually abused victims in 2018. 76% of them were women, and 24% were men. The data also shows that one in every three persons has experienced sexual harassment in their workplace. 

While sexual harassment might seem to be a social issue, several states in the US demand that organizations provide sexual harassment training for their staff. This approach aims to create awareness of the best methods to handle such incidences in workplaces. 

However, there are several reasons why your company needs to provide this training for staff (even if you are not in the states where it is mandatory). Your business can save money on lawsuits, boost brand reputation, and create a safe working environment by educating staff. In short, firms that takes this approach estimate saving over $220,500 yearly. And this figure includes preventing lost productivity and law suites. 

Six Reasons You Should Educate Your Staff About Sexual Harassment

Below are six reasons to educate your employees about sexual harassment. 

1. Create a safe working environment 
2. Save money 
3. Equip your employees to handle abuse properly 
4. Boost staff morale
5. Enhance your brand reputation 
6. Increase productivity 

Create a Safe Working Environment 

You may not be able to notice some traits that can disrupt workplace peace while evaluating employee character and behavior before employing them. However, providing regular training that addresses those issues can help put them in check. 

Although setting up policies that address these issues is a good step, it is not enough to prevent such ill behaviors. So, while implementing your work ethics and policy, set up regular training for all employees.

Some employees might not fully understand the context or situations termed sexual abuse. So, creating several practical scenarios during training can help them relate better and understand what actions to take and what not. This way, you create both an ethical and safe working environment.

Save Money 

Over the last few decades, several fortune 500 companies faced lawsuits for sexual harassment claims. In short, in 2020, companies like Google, Amazon, and Facebook faced these scandals, costing them several million dollars. So, if these firms had strong and strict work ethic policies, what then went wrong?

Sharing your work ethic policy documents with staff is good yet, not enough. However, training them to manage harassment issues can provide an opportunity to handle it internally and avoid lawsuits. 

Also, lawsuits stain your image as a firm. So, while you lose money on paying huge compensations, you are likely to lose both your investors and clients. And this can affect your company shares and valuation. You can read this article to learn more about what to do if your company gets sued.

Equip Your Employees to Handle Abuse Properly 

Abuse can come as a shocker, especially when it is coming from someone you look up to or trust. And this can lead to depression, violent behaviors, employee resignation, and more actions that can affect the company.

Providing employees with the proper knowledge on how to handle such situations is like handing them the tool-set to chip through a wall. And with it, they can apply better measures to manage the situation. 

Sometimes, abuse victims are afraid of speaking up. This might be because they have lost trust in anyone or anything – it is a hard time. However, training will help them understand the next point of call in these situations. 

Boost Staff Morale 

Amongst other things, a sound mind and comfort can boost staff morale. However, sexual abuse can disrupt the peace and trust amongst staff and lead to discomfort. 

Paying to train your employees on the dangers of sexual harassment can prevent irrational behaviors, create a peaceful and work-friendly environment, and boost staff morale. This way, employees can work happily and focus on delivery.

Build Your Brand Reputation 

People want to associate with brands that are not only interested in selling a product or service but care about their employees. And the truth is sexual harassment training is one of those small things that count for a good brand. 

While paying to train your staff on the subject matter can help prevent scandals and lawsuits, your brand also gets to keep its name. Of course, you want to be recognized as a brand with integrity and not one with poor working culture. You can click on https://peertopeermarketing.co/ to read more about brand reputation. 

Increase Productivity 

Comfortable, valued, and respected employees perform better. And this is the basis of productivity.

Sexual harassment can lead to distraction, depression, and discomfort that directly affect your employee’s work performance. Also, working in an environment that does not promote staff value can cause staff to leave to where they feel more secure. So, providing training to teach against harassment shows that you value them, which directly boosts productivity.

Conclusion 

Whether or not sexual harassment training is mandatory in your area, providing it in your company adds tons of benefits to the brand. So, you can pay for regular training for staff to augment your work ethics/ policies. And maintain both a healthy work environment and a good brand name.