Awkward at the Office (Workplace Harassment) – Supervisor Edition

We’ve all sat through a mind-numbingly boring sexual harassment course. The material is important and necessary, yet it’s hard to make engaging. This course is different!

First, it focuses not just on reducing harassment, but on creating a positive work environment in which everyone feels safe and supported. Second, it follows the story of an office team facing harassment issues as they learn how their words can impact those around them, and how to treat each other with respect. Third, it includes interactive assessments that challenge the student to think through scenarios and what constitutes appropriate workplace behavior. Lastly, it includes a section specifically for supervisors that follows the story of another office team dealing with quid pro quo harassment at work.

First, in the Employee portion, in a series of vignettes mixed with instruction, students will meet Adeela, Jason, Lisa, and Michael as they deal with both the major and minor effects of workplace harassment. Students will observe them demonstrate real world responses to situations ranging from inappropriate comments to gender and racial differences. We’ll see how workplace harassment affects not just the people involved, but the productivity of the company as a whole.

Second, in the Supervisor portion, students meet another office team dealing with more serious harassment allegations including quid pro quo sexual harassment claims. The management team must deal with the claims and then implement changes including a new policy, training, and an investigation process.

Workplace harassment destroys trust, creates tension, saps productivity, and can lead to legal action as well. In between vignettes our experts Jacki Flynn, Rebecca Heiss, and Jeremy Pickens will teach how to identify, resolve, and report workplace harassment. By the end of this course, students will be able to describe their rights and responsibilities related to workplace harassment, as well as their responsibilities as a supervisor, and feel empowered to be part of a positive change in their organization.