Preventing harassment and discrimination to create a positive workplace for all
With anti-harassment and discrimination training, you can build a positive and healthy workplace that allows all your staff to feel safe and happy at work, regardless of their race, gender, beliefs, or any other characteristic. In doing so, you can unlock long-lasting potential and create an environment that forms a foundation for your business success.
EW Group has 30 years of experience providing anti-discrimination and harassment training and coaching across numerous sectors. Our expertise and organizational approach will ensure your leaders, managers, and staff meet their legal responsibilities, tackle unacceptable behavior, and break down biased and unfair structures and processes.
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Why invest in anti-harassment and discrimination training?
Harassment and discrimination can take many forms, from prejudice to bullying. This creates an uncomfortable working environment, hinders staff from performing to the best of their ability, and impairs their career progression. Combating it is not only a moral priority for your business but a legal one: harassment and discrimination are illegal under the Equality Act 2010 and European legislation.
Cases of bullying and harassment often go unreported, so, whilst important, exclusively responding to individual incidents can only go so far. It is critical for a company to take a firm position to generate a healthy atmosphere and inclusive culture. Anti-discrimination and harassment training will clarify what is considered appropriate behavior in the workplace, promote positive practices, and drive innovation right across your organization.
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LGBT+ Workforces
Your workforce could be 10-30% more productive if your LGBT employees felt comfortable at work
Diversity versus Performance
Teams with high levels of diversity and inclusion outperform their peers by 80%
Our approach to addressing bullying, harassment and discrimination in the workplace
We believe that for anti-harassment and discrimination training to succeed, no one should feel attacked or uncomfortable. Our goal is not to accuse anyone, but to build and improve together. The workshops we run create a safe, open environment, ideal for developing more inclusive behaviors and attitudes. We acknowledge the difficulties and approach them as challenges that we can all respond to positively, engaging your delegates with the science behind the subject matter.
Anti-harassment & discrimination training
Our training covers:
- Full knowledge of the law and legislation
- Practical approaches to unwanted behaviours
- Guidance on bullying and harassment policy, including resources
- Examples of effective communication models
- The emotional triggers behind challenging or aggressive actions
- Using empathy, active listening and assertiveness to encourage positive resolutions
- Strategies to manage the effects of bullying and harassment
- The grey areas between banter, inappropriate language, and bullying
How our anti-harassment and discrimination training works
Our anti-harassment and discrimination training course comprises a blend of presentations, real-life case studies, and facilitated activities including individual, small-group and whole-group interactions and reflection.
The content is fully tailored to your audience, ensuring they are engaged, interested and challenged. Through our ‘experience – reflect – learn’ approach, your staff will be encouraged to think about the impact that their behavior can have on their colleagues.
We use interactive exercises to build individual accountability. In certain cases, we may use our acting team to depict workplace scenarios. These live-action exercises bring to life a range of inappropriate conversations that employees may be involved in or overhear around the office.
Anti-harassment & discrimination training
The benefits of our training
By the end of the course, your delegates will be able to demonstrate:
- Grasp of UK legislation around discrimination and harassment
- Recognition of inappropriate language and behaviours, and how to challenge them in others
- Appreciation of the adverse impact and organisational risk associated with bullying and harassment
- Belief in inclusive best practices to prevent unwanted behaviours and conflict
- Commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion in the workplace
Anti-Harassment & Discrimination FAQs
Is anti-harassment training required by law?
While training in-and-of-itself isn’t required by law in the UK, combating harassment of all kinds is, as it’s illegal according to the Equality Act 2010 and other European legislation. Anti-harassment and discrimination training is an effective method to tackle this issue from the root, prevent it from happening, and create an inclusive and comfortable culture for everyone.
In the US, training is not a legal requirement across the board. However, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has issued federal guidelines, stating that employers should provide harassment prevention training to all employees periodically. That said, some states and other local jurisdictions do have statutes placing a legal requirement for training, for example, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Washington, New York State, and New York City.
When and where can workplace harassment happen?
Unfortunately, harassment can happen anywhere, at any time, and to anybody. It can occur at work or office events, as well as outside of the workplace between workmates, and involve anyone, no matter their seniority, gender, race or other defining features. This is why the best approach when it comes to ending it is to focus on improving the culture as well as tackling individual cases that come to your attention.
Why is it important to have an anti-harassment policy?
Although you do your best to train staff and ensure that your workplace is comfortable, sometimes cases of harassment will arise. It is key that you provide your employees with a clear framework or a policy for these situations, that not only defines what harassment is but also outlines your company’s way of handling them, as well as potential consequences. This will prove your commitment and give your team the information they need if something happens.