Why employers should offer sexual harassment prevention training

When you own or manage an Arizona business, you need to think about how much a sexual harassment allegation may damage its reputation and profitability. You may want to consider giving your employees and supervisors sexual harassment prevention training to help protect your business and ensure that it remains a safe, comfortable place to work.

According to the Safe Institute, offering sexual harassment prevention training may benefit your business in the following ways.

By helping guard against litigation

After the onset of the #MeToo movement, the number of employees coming forward with sexual harassment allegations doubled. If you wind up facing such a suit, you may have to pay out a large amount in damages.

By keeping your workforce comfortable and productive

You do not want anything to distract your employees from the job at hand, but sexual harassment may do that. Offering sexual harassment prevention training shows your employees you care about preventing such behavior. Sexual harassment may also lead employees to take time off when they otherwise would not, which may hinder your company’s productivity.

By helping protect its reputation

When it comes to sexual harassment, some employees never make formal complaints. Instead, they might decide to leave their positions and then write about what happened on message boards or online hiring sites later. This may hurt your business’s credibility. It may also make others hesitant to work for you.

By offering sexual harassment training in your place of business, you do more than just reduce your risk of a potential lawsuit – you also show you that you value inclusivity and fair treatment for everyone you employ.