It has been more than 30 years since the U. S. Supreme Court held that workplace harassment was a form of discrimination prohibited by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. Yet according to the EEOC Select Task Force on the Study of Harassment in the Workplace little has changed. According to this report the number of harassment charges has not moved in the past five years despite the many efforts by employers to curb this problem. In 2016, there were 28,216 harassment charges filled with the EEOC yet the Select Task Force suggest that between 70-94% of incidents of harassment are not even reported. Further, according to the report, “much of the training done over the last 30 years has not worked as a prevention tool – it’s been too focused on simply avoiding legal liability.”
The ability to support and encourage a diverse team of employees is a basic requirement in today’s world. Whether a leader or a member of the team, each employee must ensure his/her personal actions clearly demonstrate a strong sense of respect and appreciation for everyone on the team. He or she also has a responsibility to ensure that each member of the team treats others with dignity and respect. Creating a civil work environment where everyone contributes to the best of their ability and knows that they will be respected and rewarded for their contributions will enhance the team’s ability to meet or exceeds goals.
Rude, disrespectful, bullying, harassing, and discriminating behavior not only harms the individual who is being mistreated, it also impacts coworkers, their productivity and the reputation of the organization. It can lead to turnover, lost customers and legal challenges.
Our training was designed to align to the recommendations within the EEOC’s Select Task Force report. Specifically:
Javelin’s Diversity and Inclusion Training Program develops behaviors that employees will need to support creation of an inclusive organizational culture. The program leverages proven adult learning science including self-reflection, micro learning, video simulations, behavioral modeling, formative assessment, and feedback. Our training program is proven process that is tightly aligned to the most common elements of policies in place to create a respectful workplace.
Employees use any internet connected device to access their simulations – smartphone, tablet, or laptop. They watch a series of high-fidelity, video simulations that represent real-world scenarios they will face in their jobs. Scenarios include, for example, bullying, rude and disrespectful behavior, harassment, discrimination, microaggressions, bystander intervention opportunities, etc. It also highlights additional expectations for leaders.
2. ImmersionAfter the employee watches “real-life”, on-the-job video scenarios, he or she is first asked to provide responses to what they observed. Then, we insert the employee in that situation. It’s not enough to just comment on what the was observed, the employee has a responsibility to take action. Our technology allows employees to insert themselves into a scenario to practice how he or she would respond.
3. FeedbackThey also have the opportunity to self critique themselves relative to “model” responses that demonstrate what good looks like. After reflecting on their original video response and absorbing what they’ve learned from the model response video, they have the opportunity to further practice using our Video ScratchPad. Optionally, you can leverage Javelin’s certified assessors to review the simulation responses and provide individualized feedback and coaching reports.’
The Select Task Force encourages companies to monitor the efficacy of their training. How do we do this?