This is the first in a new “rethink work” video series. This video aims to rethink how we approach sexual harassment training. As with our prior COVID videos, this is a video that employers can share with their broader workforce.

The EEOC’s Task Force on Harassment found that employer harassment training programs are often ineffective and “too focused on simply avoiding legal liability.” These programs tend to dwell on legal claims and costs while simply walking employees through a checklist of things that they should not do (and which most people already know are wrong). There is little evidence that such training programs have a significant impact on employee attitudes --- people who engage in harassing conduct do not generally suffer from a lack of knowledge about what is right or wrong, they have a behavior problem that needs to be confronted and stopped. Fortunately, there is evidence that training programs can boost internal reporting and complaints, giving employers the chance to confront and stop bad behavior. That is the focus of this video. This initial, 5-minute video is not intended to be a comprehensive harassment training video, but can be incorporated into a larger training effort. Future videos in this series will address other challenges employers face in stopping workplace harassment.