6 Common Objections to Sexual Harassment Awareness Training

Posted 7 years ago

Common objections to sexual harassment awareness training

When our sales team discuss our Sexual Harassment Awareness training course with clients, they are frequently met with a few common reactions – the top ones are ‘hahaha’ *laughs awkwardly*, ‘we don’t have those problems here’ and ‘we only want the courses that keep us compliant with the law’. These are almost always pronounced with discomfort, unease or dismissal.

Even though we understand these reactions with a subject such as this, we also know the importance (and dare I say the necessity) of this training. So this post offers some insight into how these objections are handled by our staff and why!

After our team bring up Sexual Harassment Awareness, they are often met with these responses:

1. “I’m not sure. Who’s it for?”

It’s for everyone! All sectors. All organisations – big and small. It’s for every manager and every employee. Basically, for anyone that deals with people throughout their working day.

2. “We only want courses that keep us compliant”

Sexual harassment is illegal. It’s a form of discrimination connected to a protected characteristic. Employees are protected by different legislation, including The Equality Act (2010) and The Protection from Harassment Act (1997). It’s best to deal with sexual harassment informally if the allegations aren’t severe, but it can still go to court.

3. “Hahahaha” Laughs awkwardly

We all love an awkward laugh to fill an awkward pause. It’s perfectly natural, which is why many of our team end up laughing too. But once the giggles have subsided it’s important to look at the bigger picture with this subject. It’s bigger than our discomfort. Understanding this subject is the best way to remove the uneasiness or confusion. Our course tells you everything you need to know… from identifying it all the way through to combating it.

4. “We’re happy here / we don’t have those problems”

Have you heard of ‘fear of retribution’? It’s when people are too worried about the repercussions so they don’t speak up. Sadly, there’s always a chance that an organisation has these problems but people may not be aware of it. Over 2000 people took part in a survey conducted by the BBC – 63% of women who took part said they have been sexually harassed but didn’t report it to anyone, and 79% of the men in the survey said the same.

5. “It’s too awkward” or “the boss won’t go for it”

This training does the awkward talking for you. It’s like a one-on-one conversation between our presenter and you/your employee. Everyone gets to understand the subject and digest it in their own time and at their own pace. This course provides the answers to the questions that many people have – so managers don’t have to start that conversation if they don’t know how to. We offer advice on how to approach things for managers anyway – including how to deal with reports and complaints.

6. “We have a mainly male/female based workforce, so sexual harassment is not an issue here”

Sexual harassment can – and does – occur between members of the same gender, as well as between members of the opposite gender. Studies show that victims of same-sex sexual harassment can find it more challenging to speak up about it too, so it’s just as vital for more predominantly female or male workplaces to take awareness training.

It’s also crucial to consider the minority in these workforces too – if you have a workforce that is 90% male and 10% female, or vice versa, the minority within that workforce need to be considered. Sexual Harassment Awareness training is for everyone.

Is sexual harassment a workplace pandemic?

iHasco’s Sexual Harassment Awareness Training

Our Sexual Harassment Awareness course is a sensitive, simple and straightforward approach to a subject that needs to be understood by every employee and employer in every industry. It educates our learners on what it is, how to address it, and imperatively – how to prevent it.

If you’d like to take a look – click here to get a no-obligation free trial right away.