Wednesday, December 5th, 2007
Sexual Harassment “Training”
Yesterday I completed a web-training assessment on sexual harassment. It was a well done training compared to some of the ones I have heard about in other companies and universities.
One of the first problems with the training that caught my eye was the fact that the person being harassed is instructed to confront the person who is making them feel “uncomfortable”. They also said that this should be done in private. Again, let’s think about this statement. If someone is making you feel uncomfortable, confronting them and telling them to stop is not such an easy task. Basically, if someone doesn’t tell the person or persons to stop, then they cannot claim sexual harassment because they have not made it clear that they are uncomfortable. In my opinion this policy is hurting people who are being sexually harassed but are afraid to speak up. Speaking from experience, confronting someone (who in most cases in a job setting is your superior) is easier said than done.
December 6th, 2007 at 9:32 am
Anne said:
Wow. That is a rather strange policy, requiring the victim to first confront their assailant. Perhaps the company is trying to cover their own ass from potential law suits.
It’s a “blame the victim” stance, isn’t it?
“Well, she never told me to stop, so she must have wanted it.”
“She never said anything, so it wasn’t harassment.”
What bullshit.
This is where carefully concealed recorders come in handy.