The #MeToo movement has served as a wake-up call to a lot of organizations. Additionally, Ronan Farrow’s brilliant book, “Catch and Kill,” as well as the frustratingly overlooked film, “Bombshell,” have served to put a spotlight on cultures that tolerate sexual harassment. Women are realizing that people are finally listening to them and, especially when they link arms and speak as one, they can impact change.

You may be thinking, “Oh come on. Those extreme cases don’t apply to us! We have nothing to learn from the over-the-top behavior of a few powerful men who installed buzzers that lock their doors or elevators that secretly delivered women to their offices. We have an evolved culture! No one feels intimidated here!”

Are you sure?

But let’s go ahead and give your culture the benefit of the doubt today; we still must ask: Will it remain evolved and safe as people come and go?

Training to End and Prevent Sexual Harassment

Preventing sexual harassment in your law firm has never been more critical. In fact, if you’re in one of the states that has enacted new rules on sexual harassment training for management and rank and file staff, your mandate is clear. You must offer training!

But if your organization is not required by law to train employees, clearly it’s coming. Therefore, it would be wise to get ahead of the curve. Even if your state never adopts this requirement (which would be shocking), public sentiment weighs in favor of the proactive. Don’t be the law firm in your competitive market that ignores this issue.

Organizations that place a high value on employee engagement recognize the importance of creating a respectful, inclusive culture, free of all forms of harassment and discrimination. As a result, these organizations can benefit by attracting and retaining top talent, increasing their value in the marketplace and setting the bar high for employee satisfaction. Even without mandates, organizations that take proactive steps to address and prevent harassment and other misconduct can realize higher engagement, lower churn and improved brand reputation.

Today’s Sexual Harassment Training is Different (aka Better) than the Past

Several years ago, a select EEOC task force concluded that most sexual harassment training over the previous 30 years hasn’t worked because the focus was on avoiding legal liability instead of prevention and changing attitudes and behaviors. In the #MeToo era, there’s a demand and expectation to replace ‘check the box’ harassment training with a behavior-based approach that is modern, interactive and connects with a 21st century workforce.

Last year, Savvy sought a partner that could enable us to deliver engaging, culture-changing compliance training to our clients. We found Traliant.

Traliant is revolutionizing the compliance training experience with modern, bite-sized videos presented in a modern, news-style format. Courses immerse learners in interactive episodes that let them choose alternate endings, while learning to handle difficult, real-world situations. By influencing behavior and culture, your employees learn to act ethically, speak up and prevent harassment and discrimination, and promote a positive, respectful workplace

If you’re looking for impactful sexual harassment training for your law firm, contact Savvy today.