Are employees who receive sexual harassment training more likely to file a lawsuit against their employer than those who receive no training? The answer is no, according to a study by Caren M. Goldberg, a management professor at American University's Kogod School of Business.
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Download Now"Some organizations have avoided implementing sexual harassment training programs for fear that providing it might increase lawsuits from otherwise unaware victims," says Goldberg. "But if an employer is sued, proof that sexual harassment training was offered may be one the best defenses. This study indicates that the presumed downside is much ado about nothing."
Goldberg conducted the study among 243 white-collar workers who are attending graduate school. First, Goldberg asked the workers how they would respond to a variety of situations involving harassing behavior. The workers had four possible responses from which to choose:
- Confronting the harasser verbally,
- Filing a formal report,
- Seeking legal counsel, or
- Quitting.
Goldberg then split the workers into two groups, one of which received harassment training while the other received no training. Three months later, Goldberg asked all the workers the same questions about how they would respond to harassment. She found that there was no difference between the two groups in their intent to seek legal counsel.
"The findings will hopefully provide some reassurance to employers who are undecided about offering harassment training," says Goldberg.