Sexual harassment training is a common human resource activity, and the practitioner literature is replete with advice about how to implement it. Little research, however, has specifi cally explored what makes sexual harassment training effective. This paper uses what we know from general training research and theory and sexual harassment research to assess the extent to which the practitioner literature is making relevant and reasonable recommendations for sexual harassment training. We identify practitioner-research gaps in the literature, including areas that academic research and theory sug-Keywords: sexual harassment, training effectiveness, practitioner-research gaps M anaging sexual harassment in the workplace is an important issue for human resource (HR) managers. Sexual harassment can create physical and psychological difficulties for victims (Fitzgerald, Drasgow, Hulin, Gelfand, & Magley, 1997) and, if left unmanaged, can also result in high costs (in terms of absenteeism, turnover, and reduced productivity). It can also cause legal headaches for organizations (Faley, Knapp, Kustis, & Dubois, 1999;Pearson, 1997). A common approach to dealing with sexual harassment in organizations is to provide sexual harassment training. Sexual harassment training is Correspondence to: Elissa L. Perry, Teachers College, Columbia University, 525 West 120th Street, New York, NY 10027, Phone: (212) Fax: (212) 678-8303, E-mail: ep248@columbia.edu
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HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT, SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2009Human Resource Management DOI: 10.1002/hrm quickly moving from an optional activity to a legally advisable one (Bisom-Rapp, 2001;Martucci & Lu, 2005). In fact, a number of states require employers to provide sexual harassment training (Martucci & Lu, 2005). In response to greater demands for such training, a multibillion-dollar sexual harassment training industry has developed (Bisom-Rapp, 2001).Sexual harassment training may be a particularly difficult type of organizational training for HR managers to design and implement. Sexual harassment training addresses emotionally laden issues, and trainees may be resistant to receiving it (Jackson, 1999). The costs associated with implementing ineffective sexual harassment training can be quite high. Ineffective training programs may fail to reduce sexual harassment and result in backlash from intended recipients of the training. Ironically, these effects make organizations more vulnerable to legal action than the absence of training. For example, at least one employee was so upset by his organization's sexual harassment training that he brought a sexual harassment suit against his employer (Bisom-Rapp, 2001).In addition, providing training may create a false sense of security that something is being done about sexual harassment, leaving real organizational problems unaddressed (Bisom-Rapp, 2001). As more states mandate sexual harassment training, greater attention will likely be given to the content and nature of the training provided. For example, some legal experts have no...