The Development and Evaluation of a Sexual Harassment Contact Person Training Package

Abstract

The effectiveness of a training package to teach listening and helping skills to three pairs of sexual harrassment contact person trainees was evaluated, using a multiple probe design. The training package comprised five components: behavioral specifications, rationales, situational examples, study guides, and role-play exercises, provided in a written instructional format based on guidelines developed by Fawcett and Fletcher. Evaluation involved pre- and posttraining measures of target behavior occurrence, relevant knowledge, and self-rated confidence level. Ratings of performance were also provided by potential consumers as a measure of social validity. Findings indicated that the package was effective in increasing listening and helping skills, knowledge, and confidence of trainees and that skills generalized to new simulated cases and were maintained over time.

Examining the Impact of Training on the Homosexual Conduct Policy for Military Personnel

“…It may be that current training efforts may be influencing participants' perceptions and confidence rather than increasing actual knowledge of the policy. This finding is consistent with studies showing increased levels of confidence of trainees without a corresponding increase in objective knowledge of harassment related issues (Blaxall et al, 1993;Moyer & Nath, 1998). Increasing objective knowledge of the policy is particularly important for individuals in leadership positions who may be faced with having to resolve incidents of harassment based on perceived sexual orientation.…”

“…Based on research and theory in both the training (Goldstein, 1986(Goldstein, , 1991Goldstein & Associates, 1989;Goldstein & Ford, 2002;Kraiger et al, 1993;Morgan & Casper, 2000;Salas & Cannon-Bowers, 2001;Salas et al, 2003) and harassment literature (Antecol & Cobb-Clark, 2003;Barak, 1994;Beauvais, 1986;Blakely et al, 1998;Blaxall et al, 1993;Kearney et al, 2004;Magley et al, 1997;Moyer & Nath, 1998;Perry et al, 1998;Robb & Doverspike, 2003;Thomann et al, 1989;Williams et al, 1999;York et al, 1997), we hypothesized that training on the DA/DT/DP policy would influence participants' reactions, learning and cognitive outcomes, as well as behavioral and organizational outcomes. Figure 1 depicts the hypothesized relationships we examined along with specific variables used to test these hypotheses.…”

“…Studies examining participants' reactions to harassment training have found that training yields increased sensitivity and awareness of issues and behaviors related to sexual harassment (Barak, 1994;Beauvais, 1986;Blaxall, Parsonson, & Robertson, 1993;Robb & Doverspike, 2001;York, Barclay, & Zajack, 1997). Beauvais (1986), Blaxall et al (1993), and York et al (1997) found that training increased sensitivity and awareness for victims of harassment. Barak (1994) found that participant ratings of a workshop on sexual harassment were generally positive and that organizational officers indicated that the workshop had secondary effects that were evidenced in the organizational atmosphere (i.e., climate).…”

“…Barak (1994) found that participant ratings of a workshop on sexual harassment were generally positive and that organizational officers indicated that the workshop had secondary effects that were evidenced in the organizational atmosphere (i.e., climate). Other studies examining participants' knowledge and skills have found that training yields increased knowledge regarding victim rights and responsibilities (Blaxall et al, 1993;Thomann, Strickland, & Gibbons, 1989), organizational remedies (Magley, Zickar, Salisbury, Drasgow, & Fitzgerald, 1997), identification of harassing events (Antecol & CobbClark, 2003;Blakely, Blakely, & Moorman, 1998;Kearney, Rochlen, & King, 2004;Moyer & Nath, 1998), and listening and helping skills (Blaxall et al, 1993). Studies examining behavioral outcomes related to harassment training are limited.…”

Sexual harassment training: Recommendations to address gaps between the practitioner and research literatures

“…The transfer climate in which supervisors model trained behavior and reinforce appropriate behaviors as well as supervisor support have been found to affect employee motivation to transfer what is learned in training to the job (Tannenbaum et al, 1993). Finally, evidence exists that maintenance intervention strategies (e.g., setting goals for posttraining behaviors) can improve the probability of training transfer (Salas & Cannon-Bowers, 2001;Tannenbaum et al, 1993).Some empirical sexual harassment training studies have found positive outcomes associated with sexual harassment training, including positive trainee evaluations (e.g., Barak, 1994), greater knowledge of sexual harassment (e.g., Beauvais, 1986), and higher demonstrated skills in response to simulated sexual harassment incidents (e.g., Blaxall, Parsonson, & Robertson, 1993). Research has not systematically explored how these immediate training outcomes transfer to the work environment to affect on-the-job behavior.…”