My new chapter in SCCE’s recent publication, The Complete Compliance and Ethics Manual – 2019, dives into the role of the compliance & ethics practitioner around the topic of anti-harassment. Harassment is not a new issue in the workplace nor in society as a whole, but it has hit our radar recently in a very powerful manner, in what many have referred to as a reckoning. Harassment has placed a prominent spotlight on workplace culture and the role of the compliance and ethics practitioner. My article unpacks the various elements of workplace harassment, the impact on culture and breakdown in trust.
Training Alone Will Not Shift Behavior
One of an organization’s typical knee-jerk reactions when attempting to address sexual harassment is to roll out more training. With increased regulatory requirements, general compliance training fatigue is at an all-time high. Compounding this stress is the fact that, unfortunately in some organizations, when top leadership is under investigation, the larger workforce receives more training on sexual misconduct, but little is done to train and hold leaders accountable. The research indicates that more effective anti-sexual harassment training strategies are those that target and engage with leaders first.
Lead with Values
Harassment prevention training is often the first introduction employees have to a company’s attitudes and expectations surrounding workplace sexual misconduct: In other words, it can shape their first perception of how a company’s culture handles harassment. And too many anti-harassment training programs fail to address the importance of living the company’s values. These are the ethical standards that all colleagues must be held to, such as the importance of leader empathy, listening and responsibility.
10 Tips for Compliance and Ethics Practitioners To Prevent Harassment in the Workplace (Infographic)
Read my full article in SCCE's The Complete Compliance and Ethics Manual – 2019.
To learn more about anti-harassment training strategies for front-line management, watch a sample of our course clip, Harassment Prevention For Supervisors.
Copyright 2019 The Complete Compliance and Ethics Manual, a publication of the Society for Corporate Compliance and Ethics (SCCE).