Workplace harassment training is largely ineffective and too focused on simply preventing liability, according to a new report from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. But there are ways to better this situation, including methods gaining traction on college campuses, according to general counsel who spent over a year working on the report.
On June 20, the EEOC released a 118-page report that was prepared by EEOC Commissioners Chai Feldblum and Victoria Lipnic and informed by the findings of a 16-member task force of attorneys, advocacy group representatives and academics that met over an 18-month period. According to the report, nearly one-third of the approximately 90,000 charges received by the EEOC in fiscal year 2015 included an allegation of workplace harassment. This unquestionably comes at a steep cost for businesses. Last year, for example, the EEOC recovered over $164 million for workers alleging harassment. And that doesn’t account for indirect costs such as decreased productivity, increased turnover and reputational damage.
