Sexual harassment in the workplace is prevalent yet not openly talked about. Women and men alike experience sexual harassment but not that many organizations provide training to identify, report, or prevent sexual harassment cases. It may be because not everyone is comfortable talking about it. When witnesses continue to be silent about this, victims continue to suffer.
Not everyone reports sexual harassment due to a variety of factors but mostly because they are not well enough informed of what constitutes sexual harassment and what their civil rights are when it comes to this. There is also the fear that they would be mocked or not taken seriously by their superiors or co-workers.
When it’s not mitigated, sexual harassment results in trauma, absenteeism, disengagement at work, and resignation. It’s also a criminal offense and, when not addressed properly, there is a possibility that it could lead to not only disciplinary actions but also lawsuits. This may affect the work-performance of employees involved or their at-work friends, which can be detrimental to the business operations.
That is why organizations must take initiative to lead a healthy conversation about the sexual harassment policy to affirm the employees that it is okay for them to engage in a conversation. If employees are not encouraged to be more open to this type of discussion, they won’t know the proper actions or the proper avenue to voice their concerns.
To prevent any of these abusive scenarios from happening, it is important to foster a safe and healthy workplace built on trust and respect. This will boost workplace employee morale, productivity, and overall satisfaction. By providing sexual harassment training programs to your teams, they will feel empowered, valued, and safe.
Fortunately, there are several courses offered on-site and online that include informative lessons about harassment in the workplace. Depending on your organizational needs, there are a variety of courses to choose from. Here are the top sexual harassment training courses available.
SC Training (formerly EdApp), in partnership with the American law firm, Pollsinelli, has created this comprehensive USA Harassment Prevention course for Employees. It’s designed to help organizations comply with legal requirements in the majority of states in the USA, including New York (State and City), Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Washington, and Rhode Island.
By taking these courses, your team will learn how to define harassment, recognize inappropriate behaviors, and know when and where it can occur. Your employees will also gain knowledge on how to report harassment and understand topics such as retaliation, third-party harassment, and different types of sexual harassment.
Lastly, the course also highlights the negative effects of harassment on employees. Overall, the free harassment prevention training consists of 11 short lessons that can be accessed from any device. Even if your state doesn't have mandatory training requirements, these courses provide a solid foundation for promoting a safe and respectful work environment.
Key Learning: Definition of harassment and sexual harassment, types of sexual harassment, retaliation, third-party harassment, reporting sexual harassment, external organizations, investigation, and the benefits of a harassment-free workplace
Length: Around 45 minutes
Cost: Free (up to 10 users)
This free USA Harassment Prevention course is quite similar to the previous one except that it’s designed specifically for supervisors working in the majority of US states, including Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Washington, Rhode Island, and New York (State and City).
It also touches on topics like the definition of harassment, the types of sexual harassment, reporting procedures, and the benefits of having a harassment-free workplace. But compared to the course for employees, this offers supervisors and managers more detailed insights from leaders’ perspectives.
The course is also broken down into 11 digestible lessons. And the best part? They include games and interactive quizzes! This makes learning more fun and helps supervisors and managers retain what they've learned. It's a great way to keep everyone engaged and excited about the training.
Key Learning: Difference between harassment and sexual harassment, types of sexual harassment, retaliation, third-party harassment, sexual harassment reporting process, external organizations, investigation process, harassment-free workplace benefits
Length: Around 45 minutes
Cost: Free (up to 10 users)
Sexual Harassment at Work course by THE BAMBOO TREE is available for free. While it is designed for Australian businesses, the general content applies to all. As an SC Training (formerly EdApp) course, it is also editable to better suit your organizational needs.
The course consists of 3 lessons: statistics about sexual harassment at work, the prevalence of workplace sexual harassment in Australia, and prevention and intervention strategies for sexual harassment at work. To establish the reliability of the information, the content is based on a study by the Australian Human Rights Commission. A completion certificate is issued to course takers.
This interactive, microlearning training can be completed on the go, as it is a mobile-first platform. Learn anytime at your own pace.
Key learning: Sexual harassment facts, prevention, compliance
Length: Self-paced
Cost: Free
Preventing Workplace Harassment is a course offered by Emtrain. It highlights the behavioral nuances that surround harassment in the workplace. Your teams are taught how to address allegations, inappropriate conduct and uncover concealed issues. By training employees on how to identify signs of being harassed at work, they could turn from bystanders into upstanders who call out improper behavior. Emtrain offers the course in two languages which are in English and Spanish. There are 2 course versions for managers and employees.
Key learning: Sexual harassment prevention
Length: 35 mins – 2 hours (timed or untimed)
Cost: Free demo
Sexual Harassment Training by SexualHarassmentTraining is a training platform that makes compliance accessible and convenient. It discusses the different forms of unwelcome sexual advances of harassers, may it be physical or verbal. There are 2 course versions – one for managers and one for employees. There are also 2 types of certificates, one for individuals and another for organizations, which are both nationally-recognized certificates in the US for 2 years. SexualHarassmentTraining could accommodate organizations with their quotation when enrolling big groups in this training. The language options are English and Spanish.
Key learning: Sexual harassment and compliance
Length: 1 hour (managers/supervisors), 2 hours (employees)
Cost: 9.99 USD
Preventing Workplace Harassment by Universal Class is an online course about different types of harassment you can experience in a workplace setting. It includes 15 lessons on how to identify it, the different avenues of how to approach it, and a quiz after every lesson. Please note lesson 6 is dedicated purely to sexual harassment. Universal Class provides a completion certificate that is IACET accredited.
Key learning: Workplace harassment, taking action
Length: 7 hours average time for 15 lessons
Cost: 0.00 USD (no certificate) , 5.00 USD (with certificate)
Preventing Harassment in the Workplace course on LinkedIn Learning defines sexual harassment and discusses, the reality of harassment, how to prevent harassment through organizational culture, and preventing harassment through interpersonal skills. This course includes a series of short videos in each lesson. The instructor will also provide exercise files that will supplement your team’s learning.
Key learning: Sexual harassment, prevention
Length: 57 minutes
Cost: Free trial, paid course
Sexual Harassment Prevention Training by Compliance Training Group defines the difference between harassment and sexual harassment and dives into how to prevent and prohibit such unlawful acts from happening. Learners have a choice between onsite and on-site learning, whichever is convenient. A final test is conducted as well upon completion.
Key learning: Sexual harassment, prevention, compliance
Length: 1 hour (employee), 2 hours (managers)
Cost: 9.99, 9.99 USD
Rise’s Sexual Harassment Prevention Training is a straightforward and interactive approach to impart information about harassment. It is a self-administered course that has 13 lessons that you can complete at your own pace. The content includes an introduction to harassment & discrimination, sexual harassment, training for supervisors, and a quiz to solidify the course learnings. This course emphasizes building a respectful workplace as the very foundation of preventing sexual harassment.
Key learning: Sexual harassment, effects, prevention
Length: Self-paced
Cost: Free
Sexual Harassment Training Course for Employees by High Speed Training describes what constitutes sexual harassment in the workplace. The content includes what sexual harassment is, what the signs are, and what policies or procedures need to be in place to prevent it. It outlines dangerous behaviors, risks, and indicating factors. In addition to interactive slides, this course also offers audio voiceover for auditory learners. A final exam is conducted and when passed, a certificate is issued.
Key learning: Sexual harassment, signs, procedures
Length: 1-2 hours
Cost: Free demo, £25.00 + VAT
Preventing Sexual Harassment by 360training is an human-resources compliance course that dives into sexual harassment in hostile environments and employment discrimination prevention strategy. This sexual harassment training course breaks down why these issues occur in the workplace, how to deal with persistent harassing behavior and how to report it. It also outlines a manager’s responsibilities in creating a safe work environment, as well as how to handle and investigate a harassment complaint. Upon completion, you will receive a completion certificate.
In addition to sexual harassment prevention, there are also modules covering other business ethics concepts, like open-door policies, discrimination, workplace bullying, and how to best include people with disabilities in your workplace.
Key learning: Sexual harassment and discrimination prevention strategies
Length: 2 hours
Cost: 0.00 USD
The Types of Sexual Harassment course by NAVEX Global is a microlearning course that can be finished in less than 10 minutes. NAVEX Global covers the different types of sexual harassment that can take place in a hostile work environment.
Key learning: Employment law training
Length: 10 minutes
Cost: Free trial, paid plans
The Sexual Harassment Prevention course by Baker Training Institute talks about how to raise awareness and prevent discriminatory behaviors and sexual harassment. This online course consists of 9 lessons and a certificate is issued upon completion.
Key learning: Sexual harassment awareness and prevention strategies
Length: 2 hours
Cost: Free trial, paid plans
The Sexual Harassment Training course by Traliant is a prevention course that is very helpful in a workplace setting. Traliant offers different versions of the course to comply with state laws and training requirements. Wherever you are in the US or Canada, there is a course for you.
Key learning:
Length: 40-120 minutes per module
Cost: Free trial, paid plans
The Sexual Harassment Training course by ProProfs is a compliance course that adheres to the mandate of state and federal laws like the ones set by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. There are 10 modules in this course that can be taken at your own pace.
Key learning: Sexual harassment and discrimination prevention strategies
Length: 1 hour (employee), 2 hours (managers)
Cost: Starts at USD per learner (monthly)
Unicef’s Prevention of Sexual Harassment and Abuse of Authority (2021 version) course is designed for learners to know how to identify, prevent, and manage the signs of sexual harassment. This course aims to raise awareness and also to introduce the policies that can be used to protect the employees. There are 4 lessons in this course that you can take at your own pace.
Key learning: UN’s zero-tolerance of workplace harassment, sexual harassment, and abuse of authority
Length: 2 hours
Cost: Free
Sexual Harassment in the Workplace course made by SC Training (formerly EdApp) is available for free. It includes 4 lessons. Managers can either immediately deploy or edit the course to be suited for your organization, and then launch it.
By the end of the course, you’ll learn what constitutes sexual harassment and offensive sexual favors, their signs and effects. You will also learn the proper actions that you can take when found in a compromising situation and experienced retaliation. With these in mind, the course will guide you through how to analyze and formulate strategies for future scenarios. You will also receive a certificate upon completion.
This interactive, microlearning training can be completed on the go, as it is a mobile-first platform. Learn anytime at your own pace.
Key Learning: Sexual harassment facts, consequences, strategy
Length: Self-paced
Cost: Free (up to 10 users)
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Author
Erika is a learning expert at SC Training (formerly EdApp), a mobile-first microlearning LMS for everyone's training needs. She also has experience in training & development, project management, and digital marketing. During her free time, she enjoys several hobbies such as watching series, fine arts, music, and some sports.