Getting Real With Sexual Harassment Training

In a New York Times article, reporter Claire Cain Miller looks at the often woeful state of the art in sexual harassment training and talks to some experts about how it can be improved. The problem in part, Miller writes, is the fallout from two Supreme Court decisions. They gave many legal departments the idea that if you cover the base with something you can convince a court was called “sexual harassment training,” you might get off the liability hook if and when a problem arises. Often the result has been tedious and ineffective power-points that leave the attendees yawning and glancing at their cell phones. A number of suggestions are included in this article, among them to encourage and empower bystanders of any sex to get involved when they see a problem, preferably at an early stage when a little bit of civil pushback has a chance of nipping it in the bud. Not surprisingly, experts stress the importance of encouraging reporting by the alleged victims themselves, but with some variations that are surprising. Some people may be reluctant to report because their attitude is that they really don’t to want to get this guy in big trouble or fired. With that in mind, a Yale law professor recommends setting up something called information escrow system. This would allow a person with a complaint to have the option of submitting it “time-stamped,” so that it would be resurrected and acted upon only if and when another employee files a complaint against the same person.