We continue to hear of high-profile cases of sexual harassment in the workplace, despite legislation that is designed to protect employees. Benjamin Black examines why online compliance training, the “easy option”, isn’t driving behaviour change.
Another week, another headline. A prominent actor is accused of sexual harassment. A group of junior associates is forced to sign NDAs. A major corporation pledging “zero tolerance” … again.
It’s likely that we are stuck in a loop.
It’s happening despite us living in the post-Worker Protection Act era. From October 2024 UK employers will have a duty of taking reasonable steps to avoid sexual harassment.
You’d expect that to be a wakeup call. We’re still shaking our head as yet another scandal is revealed.
Most organisations still try. They’re trying to do what they think is necessary, or at least they are doing it in order to check the “we did some thing” box.
Companies rush to implement compliance training. Inboxes are overflowing with links and employees click through scenarios of fictional employees. (Why are they always named Mark and Jasmine?) Having awkward conversations in lifts.
Click, click, click. Quiz passed. Certificate given. All done? Not quite.
It’s not working
There’s a good reason why the headlines in the media keep coming. If the goal of reducing harassment is not to put a digital sign on a spreadsheet, but rather reduce it (not just add a signature), then something isn’t right.
Online training modules are not the best option for education. They’re better than nothing.
They are convenient, scalable and inexpensive. They’re also a great option for HR departments that are under pressure to ensure “compliance” in the entire organisation.
One-size-fits-all. Low effort. High coverage. In 20 minutes and just before lunch. They aren’t always the best solution for an endemic issue.
How many of us really understand the content of a training course that you can click through?
How many people take the course while reflecting on their own behavior, or subtleties of culture and power dynamics in their teams as they watch a badly acted role-play on screen that may not be relevant to their workplace?
Grey Areas
It is rare for harassment, and particularly sexual harassment to be announced by a neon sign.
Looks, jokes, offhand remarks, and lingering silences are all signs of it. It thrives often in the grey areas of “was it okay?” and “am i overreacting?” When it is not addressed, the problem becomes normalised. It’s shrugged off. The wallpaper of the workplace culture.
The stick of law, however important, does not automatically change culture. It cannot.
Compliance may stop bad behaviours but does little to create an environment in which people understand boundaries and respect. It also doesn’t teach them how to create an environment that is supportive, based on trust.
Real-life scenarios
This kind of cultural change requires more than just a multiple choice quiz. It requires conversation and discomfort.
People need to be able to relate to real-life situations, ask questions, and challenge assumptions. They also need to listen to other perspectives.
In-person interactive training is important. It encourages interaction and participation when done right (and don’t pretend that all in-person learning is perfect). This allows for nuance by using relevant, real life examples.
This allows for difficult discussions, such as “but what if …”” and challenges you wouldn’t have if you were sitting at your computer clicking through an online course.
People learn in a group by observing others’ reactions, interpreting their tone and catching subtle cues to tell if someone is truly uncomfortable or just British level awkward.
It’s important to understand that this is not just about compliance, or even about harassment. It’s all about culture.
Culture is what you do when no one’s looking. When the manager is not present, it’s the jokes made. The way someone reports inappropriate behavior is important. Not just the formal procedure, but also the side comments, raised eyebrows and the slow fade out of meetings.
Beyond policy
Culture is what determines if someone speaks out or keeps quiet, and if they feel safe avoiding the system. It’s an intangible, living aspect of what happens to a group of people when they get together. This cannot be dictated solely by policy.
Keep the online training. It’s an attempt. It’s an achievement. It’s the baseline.
Don’t fool yourself into thinking that clicking on a module will result in a change of behaviour. Do not think that a quiz will teach your team to confront the senior executive who is always “joking” with interns or to support a colleague at a pub social who seems uncomfortable.
If organisations are serious in tackling harassment and not just serious in looking serious, they must invest in things that feel harder. They need to create spaces for open discussions in the daily and encourage line managers to take responsibility.
In the end, it is not just about stopping the next headline. It’s also about creating an organization where no one has to worry about becoming the next headline.
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