Seven Things to Look For in Harassment Awareness & Bystander Training for Chicago (and Beyond)

BLUF: On-demand training can be an efficient and cost-effective way of meeting the training requirements. With the major time investment required, be sure to choose your online courses carefully.    

If you’re an HR Director, Compliance Director, or you’re running a business in Chicago, you’ve likely heard that by June 30, 2023, you must provide a total of three hours of combined Harassment Prevention and Bystander Intervention training to your Supervisors/Managers and two hours to all other employees.

And then do it all again every year thereafter.

That’s a lot of time for your people to spend in training.  

So, how do you make the most of that time – and ensure your training isn’t just a check-the-box exercise?

Here are seven things to ask yourself as you’re reviewing training options.

• Is it engaging? Effective training – even compliance training – should draw people in with a variety of interesting scenarios, statistics, and studies that provide context and make it meaningful – and relatable – for them. What’s relatable and meaningful for some industries, organizations, or professions may not be so for others, so the ability to tailor the message and the experience to the target audience is a real plus, too.  

  Look for training that is interesting, insightful, and engaging enough to hold your attention for the duration.

• Does it reflect diversity and inclusivity? Every course you provide to your personnel should reflect the full spectrum of today’s diverse workforce – and the variety of ways that sexual harassment can show up in the workplace. Harassment isn’t just the stereotypical male boss harassing a female subordinate. Harassment “based on sex” includes harassment related to gender, gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation and encompasses a lot of behaviors that might not be readily recognizable as sexual harassment.

Look for training that covers a full range of behaviors that can be considered inappropriate – and a variety of characters and scenarios that reflect the diversity of our world today.

• Does it include interactivity? Many states and jurisdictions specifically require that harassment awareness training be interactive – and there’s a great reason why. Interaction increases engagement. And engagement increases retention, and in turn, the likelihood of compliance. That is, the more you engage with a learning experience and practice your new skills, the more likely you are to learn from it. Keep in mind that storytelling and interactivity are a powerful combination; stories help to make concepts “real” and relatable—and encouraging the learner to interact with the story increases the engagement factor even more. The most effective self-paced training leverages these concepts to make the on-demand learning experience as engaging and memorable as possible.

Look for scenarios and other interactive exercises that take concepts beyond the screen and apply them to real life.

• Is it in plain language (vs. legalese)?  Encouraging the right types of behaviors in the workplace is not about knowing the difference between the legal definitions of harassment. It is about treating people with respect. It is about recognizing the types of behaviors that contribute to a productive and respectful workplace culture—and those that don’t. It is about being simultaneously self-aware and aware of the potential impact that your actions have on others.

Look for training that emphasizes preventing a wide range of inappropriate and disrespectful behaviors, not just those that fit a strict definition of unlawful.

• Does it provide practical guidance that your learners can apply if and when they need it?  It’s not enough to educate people on what not to do; ask yourself what you want them to do? What can they do if they feel they are being harassed? How can they stand up for themselves? What can they do if they observe someone else being subjected to disrespectful behaviors? How can they avoid being a complacent bystander? Most people want to take action but simply don’t know how. Effective training provides practical tools that can make the difference in whether someone chooses to stay silent or to speak up—for themselves or others.

Look for clear guidance that your learners can easily recall and apply in a problematic situation.

• Are you able to refresh the course from one year to the next?  Finding an online course that you’re proud to provide to your organization takes time – and reviewing the array of options out there gets old fast. You really don’t want to go shopping for a new course every year to meet annual training mandates.

Look for a provider that provides opportunities to roll out a refreshed or updated course each year.

• Is it customizable? Your personnel will tune into the message more if it has been tailored to incorporate your firm’s brand, policies and procedures, and preferred terminology. Customization is more important to some organizations than others, but it’s great to know if customization is an option. Customization can look like adding an introductory video of a CEO or Managing Partner emphasizing the importance of the topic. Or it could include incorporating firm-specific language or processes. Minor adjustments in the messaging to make it “spot on” to your culture can make the difference between training that resonates vs. training that is viewed as just “checking the box.”

Look for training that can be branded to your organization and further customized in any way you’d like. 

Are you in search of effective harassment prevention training?

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In Case You Missed It: Chicago’s New Requirements

Here’s what you need to know about Chicago’s new requirements:

Effective July 1, 2022, Chicago requires (1) sexual harassment prevention training and (2) bystander intervention, as follows:

Sexual Harassment Prevention Training

·        For supervisors/managers – 2 hours (minimum) annually

·        For all other employees – 1 hour (minimum) annually

Bystander Intervention Training

·        For all employees – 1 hour (minimum) annually)

Important Notice: The content of this article is for informational purposes only and is not intended to serve as legal advice. You should not act or rely on information included above without first seeking the advice of an attorney.