The Importance of Workplace Safety and Anti-Harassment Training

Making sure employees feel safe and protected by employers in the workplace should be a company’s first priority. However, not all organizations prioritize this. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission stated that in 2020 alone, there were 67,448 charges of workplace discrimination. Forms of harassment and other safety violations can impact a company’s culture and reputation. First, let’s define harassment. Harassment is unwanted behavior that is offensive and makes a person feel intimidated or humiliated. The actions are typically considered harassment if it is consistent and persists over time. However, one-time incidents could also be considered harassment if it is severe enough and has a significant impact on the person. There are a few types of harassment that can be visible in the workplace:

1. Discrimination

Discrimination practices include refusal of promotions, unequal pay, benefits, and treatment towards other employees. 

2. Sexual Harassment

This is defined as unwanted sexual advances and behavior towards a co-worker or subordinate. This can be unwanted touching, comments about appearance, sexually suggestive gestures, and harassing e-mails or text messages. 

3. Physical or Verbal Violence

Any threat of physical assault can include pushing, hitting, tripping, or kicking someone. It can also be harassment to use insulting or intimidating language towards coworkers. 

Keep reading to see how training can help your employees remain safe in the workplace! Below, you’ll find 4 benefits of workplace safety and anti-harassment training.

Setting a Precedent

Setting the precedent early on and clearly describing what behavior will and will not be tolerated is a good way to set the tone in any organization. Bringing in training tools thereafter can help back up the precedent already set, and provide a level of uniformity amongst everyone. Promoting a respectful culture that prevents harassment is a long process and it starts with proper training to provide employees with knowledge, skills, and practical steps to prevent harassment.

Increasing Awareness

One of the easiest ways to prevent harassment in the workplace is by spreading awareness. Harassment training that is tailored for your specific industry will help employees understand what is acceptable and unacceptable behavior. Through training, employees can learn the different types of harassment. There are many subtle forms that sometimes can not be easily detected. 

Promoting Whistleblowers

Employees should be encouraged to reinforce positive behaviors. With proper training, employees will know what to look out for and can call attention to it if they see it occurring. Creating an open door policy and having open dialogue surrounding the topic of workplace safety will ensure that whistleblowers are confident that all interactions will be confidential. Establishing a fair and clear complaint process can also aid with this effort, and ensure that there will be no future retaliation to the employee filing the complaint.

Updating the Employee Handbook 

Revise your employee handbook to include your company’s position on workplace harassment. Ensure that the content of the handbook aligns with what was taught in the training and is consistent with employment laws and legislative changes. This also provides a way for employees to refer back to the policies after the training is over. 

showd.me offers e-learning courses on workplace safety and anti-harassment training. If you would like to get started today, request a demo here.