While managers and employees should both be given anti-harassment training, the type of training they receive should be different. Managers are responsible for creating a safe, supportive working environment. They must be trained on how to recognize harassment and intervene. 

Because of the important role managers play, several states mandate that managers receive extra training on anti-harassment measures. For instance, California requires managers to go through an extra hour of training. Meanwhile, New York expects anti-harassment training to include information on the specific role managers play. If you want to prevent harassment in your workplace, one of the most important things you can do is train your managers on prevention.

Why Managers Need Anti-Harassment Training

In a recent Mission to Grow podcast on “Harassment Training: What Every Small Business Owner Needs to Know to Protect Their Employees”, Mary Simmons, Asure’s vice president of HR compliance, discussed anti-harassment laws in each state. According to Simmons, “I feel strongly that this training should be done for all employers in every state at least annually. Employees and managers should be trained separately because they can stop bad behavior before it starts.”

Your managers form the basis of your company’s leadership team. They are the front line of your workforce, so they’ll interact with typical workers more frequently than upper management. Because of this, it is especially important for managers to be trained on anti-harassment policies.

Prevent Ignorance

While it can seem incredible, there are occasions when managers don’t realize that certain behaviors aren’t allowed. By performing anti-harassment training, you can ensure that no one is harassing other workers out of ignorance. 

Deal With Harassment Issues Early 

Your managers are on the front lines, so they’ll often receive reports of harassment first. In some cases, they may even be present when they occur. If they know what type of behavior to look for, they can be trained in intervening, reporting, and responding to the situations immediately. By managing these situations right away, you can prevent additional harm to the employee and potentially reduce the odds of a harassment complaint or lawsuit.

Create a Safe Work Environment 

The most important reason why you need to train managers on harassment prevention is to create a safer work environment. Employees shouldn’t have to worry about whether they will be harassed when they clock in each day.

Avoid Costly Lawsuits

Even if your goal is solely to build a profitable company, anti-harassment training should still be a priority. Workplaces that have power disparities and many high-level employees are considered at a higher risk of harassment issues. Training managers helps to mitigate these risk factors.

Keep Top Workers 

When employees feel safe and valued, they’re less likely to quit. A good work environment can boost your retention rate, employee productivity, and morale. Workplace harassment costs American workplaces $20.2 billion per year. In fact, replacing a team member who is lost because of harassment costs an average of $4,129 per worker.

How To Train Managers on Anti-Harassment Methods

To help your company build a safe, supportive work environment, there are a few measures you should incorporate into your anti-harassment program. When building your program, keep in mind that you’ll need someone to implement it. In New York, California, Maine, and other states with anti-harassment training mandates, you will often have to use a trainer who has at least two years of experience practicing law or providing HR services. If you don’t have someone on your team who fits this description, you can always use an outsourced HR provider for your training needs.

Focus on What To Do

Rather than simply tell managers what they shouldn’t do, focus on the actions they can take to encourage a positive workplace. For example, you may spend some time discussing ways managers can encourage respect and fairness in the workplace.

Consider Bystander Intervention Policies 

Often, anti-harassment policies struggle to stop harassment from happening. One of the most effective tools for stopping harassment is a bystander intervention policy. With this type of policy, managers and team members are required to intervene or report harassment when they see it. In particular, managers should be trained to automatically intervene when they see cases of harassment happen. 

Review What Harassment Looks Like 

Because some of your managers may be genuinely unaware of what harassment looks like, it’s vital to review the definition of what harassment is. During your interactive training session, you may want to provide specific examples of harassment in the workplace. The following are just a few of the examples you could use.

• Making derogatory jokes about someone’s ethnicity. 
• Pressuring an employee for a date.
• Creating offensive cartoons about a coworker.
• Using sexual or racial slurs to refer to someone else.
• Touching another employee in an unwanted way.

Create a Culture of Respect

During your anti-harassment training, you should focus on qualities and actions that demonstrate respect. For instance, managers should be trained to lead by example, encourage participation, and encourage transparency. Instead of simply banning negative behavior, your training program should also focus on the types of actions and attitudes you want to encourage.

Closely Review the Company’s Anti-Harassment Policy 

The training session should involve a close reading of your company’s policy on harassment. Then, discuss the preventative and remedial measures that the manager can take to improve working conditions for their team. If the manager doesn’t understand the policy, they won’t be able to enforce it. 

Manage Employee Complaints Fairly 

When they receive their training, managers should be taught what the complaint process looks like. For instance, your workplace should have multiple people who can process a complaint. It is common for an employee’s manager to be the one responsible for the harassment. Because of this, there should be multiple managers or HR professionals designated for receiving complaints. 

During training, managers should learn who is responsible for receiving harassment complaints and what the investigation process entails. They should also be familiar with methods for intervening and managing employee complaints. 

Prepare Your Anti-Harassment Training for Managers

While only six states mandate anti-harassment training, providing this kind of training is a wise decision that will protect your company and ensure a good working environment. Because managers play such a unique role in the organization, they need specialized training. 

To learn more about setting up anti-harassment training for your organization, contact our team of small business HR and payroll experts today.