Every day, we are confronted with ongoing media coverage of news events as they’re unfolding around the world. 

Unfortunately, amongst the good news stories of cute baby pandas and great sporting wins, many of today’s news stories deal with far more distressing subject matter, with a constant stream of natural disasters and humanitarian crises across our screens. Other events, such as terrorist attacks, bombings or mass shootings, can bring the whole world to a shocked halt in seconds.

When certain news stories or political events become a topic of national or global conversation, it’s likely that employees will bring these conversations into the workplace. This can give rise to discussions on traditionally controversial subject matters involving religion, politics and race – subjects that can be confronting and difficult to navigate in the workplace. 

How do we have respectful discussions at work about these controversial subjects? And what can managers do when talk in the office turns to difficult topics?

The Role of Managers During Difficult Times 

When the world is being rocked by a particularly shocking news story in the media, workplaces can become more nervous and tense, as employees process the events and their emotions towards it. The events are most likely on your employees’ minds, whether they’re talking about them around the water cooler or whether you raise them in discussion or not.

It’s in these difficult times that managers must demonstrate more composure and leadership than ever before, helping staff to stay engaged, focused and motivated while also feeling safe and secure. Just as we can learn how to deal with difficult people, we can learn how to have respectful conversations about controversial subjects or events – discussing difficult topics in the workplace is a skill that can be learned and developed.

Foster a Work Culture of Respect and Compassion

Ingrid Fredeen, specialist in ethics and legal compliance training, says it’s important that organisations make sure they are showing their commitment to a healthy corporate culture and fostering an environment of ethics and respect in the workplace – no matter what’s going on in the world around them.

It’s important to acknowledge what is happening and create a safe space where employees can feel secure and comfortable in discussing the events. Being proactive in this way shows good leadership and respect for the emotional wellbeing of your employees.

As consultant Michelle Kedem says in her article Discussing Difficult Topics of Race and Equity at Work, “when an organization’s leadership fails to acknowledge what its team may be going through after a traumatic event – from terrorism to acts of racial injustice to the wide range of other events impacting people's lives – it misses an opportunity to engage its team and make progress toward real change.”

Many of today’s organisations pride themselves on being committed to diversity, equality and inclusion. Be aware that your staff may need to engage in conversations about complex topics, and help them navigate those discussions in a respectful and compassionate way.

Helping Staff Discuss Difficult Events and Topics

As a manager, you can help open the lines of communication on difficult topics. It’s best to acknowledge the challenging circumstances of the events and these subsequent conversations, before introducing your discussion as a safe space for all employees to share their thoughts and feelings about the topic.

Let staff know that the organisation’s goal is to provide all employees with a dignified and respectful workplace, and that personal beliefs on certain issues or events can often be considered controversial. You might like to take the time to remind employees about HR policies you have in place around code of conduct, harassment and discrimination.

Kedem suggests making these discussions optional, with an “invite everyone; require attendance of no one” approach. Team members will react in different ways and want different levels of support and/or privacy at work. Don’t spring these sensitive discussions on staff – by scheduling them properly, you’ll allow team members the time to consider whether they want to participate, and what they want to say or not say in front in a group setting.

It’s really important for managers and team leaders to step in and address any conversations that have become offensive, aggressive or overly heated, as they can do significant damage to the workplace dynamics and culture. Encourage staff to take time to debrief and cool down after the discussion, instead of returning quickly to their normal tasks. Some team members may prefer to talk in a one-on-one environment after the general group discussion. Keep your door open. Keep your own mental attitude positive.

Learn More About Developing a Respectful Workplace

Remember, in your role as manager, it’s your responsibility to help staff navigate these difficult discussions, while feeling safe and secure in their workplace environment.

There are many online courses and resources available to help team leaders learn more about these topics, such as these modules on how to handle difficult conversations and developing a respectful workplace.

It’s a good idea to develop your own skills in this area before any challenging events or conversations arise, so you’ll feel more confident and better equipped to lead by example.

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Chris Eigeland is not your average startup co-founder. Earlier this year Chris was selected as a finalist for this years Queensland Young Achiever Awards, as well as being appointed as the 2016 Australia Youth Representative to the UN, which is an amazing achievement. Now after months of traveling around Australia to prepare, Chris is now in New York, where in the coming weeks he will be presenting to the UN General Assembly.

As a part of the preparation for his United Nations address, Chris travelled to each of the states and territories across Australia and spoke with more than 5,000 young Australians to understand which issues they viewed as priorities, so he could include them in his address.

Some of the key issues raised by the Australian youth that will drive Chris's address include education, unemployment, mental health, gender equality and indigenous equality.

In order get these youths starting thinking about how they might be able to start addressing these issues themselves, Chris also ran entrepreneurship workshops with over 1,000 young Australians, from which more than 300 solutions were developed and will be presented during the UN General Assembly.

Over the past few weeks Chris has had the opportunity to attend a number of high Level Forums covering diversity, innovation and youth, as well as being invited to speak as a part of Peace Day on Friday September 16. His Peace Day address touched on enabling the youth of the world to develop the education systems of the future through the use of improved technologies.


"Everywhere we look, there is work to be done. It will fall to our generation, many of whom are now in their late teens and early twenties – to build the institutions of the future, to build the education systems of 2030, and to build the grassroots foundation of a peaceful domestic and international environment. It will fall to our generation to take up the mantle, and pick up where the last has failed." 

Chris is scheduled to address the UN General Assembly during the week of October 3.

You can follow Chris's journey at the UN via his Twitter and Instagram accounts, as well as through the Australian Youth Representative to the UN Facebook page.

Go1's Chris Eigeland to address the UN General Assembly

During September we teamed up with General Assembly to run events in Sydney and Melbourne to discuss 'The Future of Learning'. Both events had great turnouts, and a very lively conversation between panelists and attendees around a number of topics relating to how we see education evolving over the coming years.

Our Sydney event involved a great group of panelist including Dan Fish from Go1, Riley Batchelor of Edugrowth, independent learning consultant Bronwyn Stucky, while our Melbourne event included Will Dayble of Fitzroy Academy, Sarah Moran of Girl Geek Academy and Luke McInnes of BSchool, with both events moderated by Andrew Barnes, CEO of Go1.

In a great discussion across both cities, our panelist discussed a range of topics including traditional education vs online learning vs on the job learning, if traditional learning subjects are thing of the past, why Blended learning (and social elements) are so important, how people want to learn, and much more.

General Assembly's  Garry Williams had the following to say about the events:

"Education, or rather, the future state of educational opportunities and what the ideal method of education can be, is and always will be a rather contentious issue. During the event, the audience were quite animated on topics ranging from financial considerations, the need for recognised certifications, jobs of the future and studying passion areas vs what looks good on a resume.

Of course, being quite a passionate audience meant that there were some differences of opinion on where education is heading for the ourselves and the next generations coming through the ranks, but what was most appealing was the consensus that there has never been more availability of resources to be able to educate oneself. 

The integration of future technologies such as VR/ AR and Artificial Intelligence means that we are on the cusp of a really interesting time in our lives to see technology integrate into the in-person learning experience in particular, and online learning enables amazing access points for many people operating out of remote areas in particular."

We'd like to say a big thank you to all of our panelists for taking the time to be a part of these events, as well as all of the people who came out and attended the events in each city! We hope you had a great time and look forward to seeing you again soon at our next event!

What we learned at our Future of Learning events!

Recently, we’ve talked about the importance of professional development programs, as a way to help staff refresh or develop their skills while continuing to feel challenged, engaged and satisfied in their jobs.

Through the use of professional development programs, managers can work closely with employees to create individualized action plans, developed specifically to get staff from where they are right now to where they want to be in the future. These action plans are an essential tool for successful organizations, with significant benefits for both employees and companies, through increased engagement, productivity and performance.

We’ve already provided you with some helpful advice on how to develop an engaging professional development program, encouraging managers to apply a modern approach to professional development and take the time to talk genuinely with staff about their futures.

Want to make your learning and development programs even more effective for your staff? We’ve put together some top tips to help you create successful professional development programs for your team.

Provide Flexible Learning Options for Your Employees

When encouraging staff to engage in professional development and learning activities, it’s important they don’t feel overwhelmed, or as though they’ve just been given a whole lot of homework on top of their regular workload.

By providing your employees with flexible learning options they’ll be able to schedule professional development into their lifestyle, learning at a time and place that’s convenient and practical to them. With so many options available for e-learning, as well as the technology to support flexible learning, staff can easily access training and course materials online and on their mobile devices – whenever and wherever they want.

E-learning is also a great solution for employees who work remotely – from regional areas, other offices or from home – ensuring they have the same access to learning and development resources as staff who are situated in your company’s main office.

Cater for Your Staff’s Different Learning Styles

As a manager, you’ll no doubt be working with many different personalities and learning styles in your team, probably even more so if you manage a group of people from various different generations. While older employees may be content with training and development activities taking place in an all-day conference room, millennials will expect their learning tools to be faster, more relevant to their skills and job descriptions and predominantly technology-driven.

Make sure you cater for these different learning styles and match each team member’s development program to their individual preferences and expectations. Discuss this with your employees and find out how they like to take in information, and which kind of training works best for them.

Some people learn best when presented with information by a lecturer in a classroom environment; others retain less information in these group situations and may be better off working through online modules in their own space. Good managers will take the time to learn and understand these differences and help individuals to achieve their career goals in the best way possible, even if it means approaching things in a less traditional way.

Fast-paced advancements in technology mean learning and development tools are always changing, offering us more options and more solutions all the time. As a manager, aim to be aware of what’s going on in your industry, so you can pass this knowledge on to your team and help them take advantage of new opportunities and resources. With many industries, particularly IT and creative industries, moving at such a rapid pace, professional development needs to be considered as an ongoing process.

Help your staff keep their knowledge up-to-date by encouraging them to continually refresh and upgrade their skills. Whether they want to develop or refresh role-specific skills, or improve aspects of personal development, spending time on professional development will bring benefits back to the whole team.

Empower Employees to Take Charge of their Development

When working with staff on their professional development programs, you’re effectively encouraging them to take charge of their own career path. It’s a very important responsibility, with the ability to make a direct and positive impact on an individual’s future.

Throughout the process, you can help staff feel empowered in their choices, encouraging them to play an active role in their own self-development and learning.

Just as you play a role in coaching and mentoring staff, be sure the organization supports you and other managers in this important function. If you want employees to engage in learning and development, you’ll need to show that you’re actively pursuing your own personal learning journey as well. 

Learn More About Creating Good Professional Development Programs

For more help in creating professional development programs that work for your staff, take the time to do some learning of your own.

Online courses such as Managing Professional Development – Career By Design is created specifically for team leaders and managers, to provide you with the skills and techniques you need to develop yourself and your staff.

Similarly, Exploring Professional Development looks at how professional development offers greater opportunities for growth within an organization, increasing an employee's engagement and ultimately their performance.

If you haven’t already, be sure to read through the other articles in this series for more helpful advice on developing effective professional development programs for your staff.

The Importance of Professional Development Programs

How to Develop an Engaging Professional Development Program

Tips for creating an effective professional development program

As the education system continues to evolve, we are starting to see online learning becoming a more prominent component of the way that we learn. Blended learning is now a common element in college and university institutions worldwide, and more teachers are starting to embrace the new technology. Chris Murray is one of these teachers.

After spending many years as Principal Teacher at a TAFE institution in Australia, Chris has now embraced online learning and uses his business, Jacaranda Lodge, to develop training materials in leadership and supervision for the hospitality industry, specializing in the use of exemplars.

Originally releasing 'Jacaranda's:  A hospitality case study' in print format, Chris was looking to take his training online and the Go1 platform was the perfect solution for distributing his learning material.

Making the adjustment from being a classroom teacher to an online teacher, Chris says that the most notable adjustment that he has had to make is communicating with the students to understand how they are progressing, and learning how to guide and anticipate answers so he can provide help when needed.

One of the toughest things to design when it comes to online learning is creating engaging and meaningful assessments. Chris tells us that getting students out of the habit of the ‘Tick and Flick’ mentality can be a huge challenge.

“My favorite feature of the Go1 system is that immediate feedback is provided to students when they have sit their assessments. They given an instant result. ” 

Chris tells us that one of the main reasons he started creating his print resources before they ended up online with Go1, was that I was teaching students from so many different language backgrounds.  A strength of the resources he created is that they use exemplars, both good and bad, of decisions that need to be made in a supervisory situation, which creates a much higher engagement rate and results in a higher rate of retention for the learning material with the students.

“If a student can see the thinking and likely outcome of a decision it slows them down from rushing into a torrent of words in a written assignment which they do not understand. “

In the current Australian education system, online learning requires the teacher to be familiar with, and able to facilitate learning from the wealth of online materials appearing on the internet, which is a huge step forward from the traditional text book based programs of the past.

“I have received a number of enquiries from people who wish to set up a similar business to mine, and the online materials will enable me to point them in the direction of 'Leadership and Supervision for hospitality' which will enable them to get started.”

Chris is a great example of how to adapt traditional learning concepts to online courses, and we are very excited to hear about how he has been progressing his content based on the demand, and results of his course.

Read a case study that Chris has produced around exemplar learning

Enroll in Leadership and Supervision for Hospitality

Principal TAFE teacher to online learning: Chris Murray talks eLearning

When you clock into work each day you’re normally focused on the tasks at hand; the emails you need to respond to, meetings you have to attend, and the calls you’ll be making throughout the day. As the one place in our lives that is supposed to be professional and “above board” at all times, it can be quite a shock if our workplaces suddenly turn hostile due to harassment.

Harassment is a serious issue for many workplaces in the US, and it can relate to any behavior conducted by a co-worker that makes you feel uncomfortable or unsafe. This behavior might be based on sex, race, religion, or another discriminatory factor, and when faced with these hostile work environments we’re not only unable to complete our work but our mental and emotional wellbeing can suffer as well.

Harassment can come in the form of verbal abuse, intimidating behavior, or even physical contact—and with a rise in harassment cases of almost 10,000 per year since 1997, it’s never been more important to educate American workplaces on the topic.

Harassment in California, in particular, has been home to some of the most well-known discrimination and harassment cases in the country. With just over 7 percent of the country’s cases occurring in California, it’s fair to say that the Golden State has a significant problem with workplace harassment.

One of the most famous cases in California’s harassment history comes from the Regal Entertainment Group, after it was alleged that a female co-worker had sexually harassed a male employee persistently and further retaliated when the harassment was reported to a supervisor.

The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) found that the male employee at the theater was subject to continual sexual harassment in a hostile workplace, due to his female co-worker repeatedly attempting to touch him in an inappropriate manner. The EEOC also alleged that once he reported the behavior to the general manager, both he and his direct supervisor were then subjected to further harassment in the form of retaliation.

The retaliation experienced by the victim and his direct supervisor included lowered performance appraisals, stricter security of performance, and unwarranted discipline. Both sexual harassment and retaliation for a complaint are direct violations of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and when the EEOC eventually filed suit against Regal Entertainment Group in 2006 they were successful in the proceedings. Regal was forced to not only pay the employee $175,000 but also provide an adequate anti-discrimination training program for employees and report to the EEOC on a more regular basis.

The growing trend of harassment cases in California

The Regal Entertainment Group case highlighted a common issue in California regarding harassment cases in the workplace, and at the time of the case, the EEOC had noted an increase in men filing harassment cases in the last decade. This number included a jump from 12 to 16 percent of sexual harassment cases.

Although the situation seems to have improved somewhat in recent years, workplace harassment is still an extremely serious issue in California for both men and women. The EEOC released their findings from 2015 regarding workplace harassment and found that in California almost all areas of harassment had experienced a decrease in reported cases. Some areas, however, such as color, disability, and retaliation, had seen a dramatic increase since the initial report findings in 2009.

But what do these figures mean for the modern workplace? Simply put, prevention is the key. All workplaces should have compulsory and strict guidelines for training on discrimination and harassment to ensure that these problems are tackled before they come to fruition. While it might not prevent all cases from occurring, education is the best resource we have in the fight against workplace harassment.

How you can tackle harassment In your workplace 

Sexual harassment today might look very different to the cases we see in old-fashioned workplace training videos. We’re trained to look for overt signs of harassment such as verbal suggestions or physical contact, but it can sometimes be harder to spot than that. Harassment might take the form of an insinuating comment during work or even a private message sent through Facebook, so it’s not always as in your face as you might expect.

According to the EEOC, harassment can cover any unwelcome behavior that is based on sex, race, color, religion, origin, age, genetic information, or disability. If this behavior creates a work situation that any reasonable person would find uncomfortable, it’s likely to be a form of harassment.

If you feel that you’re in a situation in the workplace where harassment is occurring, either directly to you or someone else, you need to speak up. Although it might be uncomfortable, you should speak with the harasser directly and let them know that their behavior is making you uncomfortable, enlisting the help of Human Resources or management if need be.

Keeping active and ongoing written notes on the situation can also cover your bases, so begin this as soon as the harassment starts. Under the law, your employer is obliged to provide steps that will cease the behavior, so you don’t need to feel alone in the process.

It’s important to note that once you confront someone, you might even find that the harasser is unaware that their words and actions were making others uncomfortable. After speaking with them they may even take immediate steps to change their behavior, settling the problem there and then. However, there may be times when a harasser becomes annoyed with the confrontation or even refuses to acknowledge it, and this is where you’ll need management in your corner.

Real Workplace Harassment Examples in California

Regal Entertainment Group and the current problem of harassment in California 

As mobile devices become a common instrument for almost everything we do these days, it makes sense to capitalize on this portable and up to date source of information by using it for the workplace as well. Here is why embracing mobile learning makes perfect sense if you want to be a leader at work.

If you’re looking to get ahead at work, embracing mobile learning can make you a respected leader among your peers. But how exactly does this new wave of eLearning will really give you an “edge”, and how can it make you stand out from the pack? Let’s take a closer look.

First, traditional training methods in the workplace are slowly becoming less effective. It seems the workforce is truly burning out on the “old school” way of passing on information and policy.

Mobile learning, on the other hand, addresses the common issues of traditional training and education methods and puts a fresh and convenient spin on things. Everything from how and where you access your modules to the technology you use to complete them can work together to make you a leader among your colleagues and a valuable part of any team.

When you take advantage of mobile training, whether for yourself or your employees, you’re giving yourself a head start over the rest of the pack. Mobile information is fast… and it’s delivered in a way that it’s easier to retain. Further, while others may be lagging behind with their workshops or role-play sessions, you have the ability to access training materials at any time… so that training doesn’t hinder your workload.

For you the employee of the 21st century, this means that you’re studying at a time that suits you best and this helps you retain the information because you’re more focused! Rather than feeling forced to participate in a day-long training session, you can pick up bite-sized pieces of information throughout the day and work at your own pace. This is a key factor in boosting performance and productivity that competitive workers simply cannot ignore.

By embracing mobile learning the modern learner can be truly “mobile”, choosing to study either on the job or during their leisure time. As studies from the University of Texas have shown, we retain information better when it’s ingested at multiple times and in various situations. Simply stated, the mobile learner has a clear advantage over others who are force-fed training over one single period.

Mobile Learning Is Always Relevant And Up To Date

We’ve all seen those outdated training videos on customer service or sales skills, where the actors appear to be only half-engaged in what they’re trying to say. Although they are here to teach us something, the message gets lost thanks to the poor production quality, outdated corporate jargon, and second-rate acting skills.

The beauty of mobile learning is that it will always be new, refreshed, and revised as needed. As modules and courses are constantly updated and delivered directly to your mobile device, you don’t need to worry about any of the information being out of date. In short, you’re getting the latest and most relevant education for your job, making you an instant leader among your work colleagues and a truly valuable source of information.

When we undergo traditional training seminars at work, we may have the very best intentions to put those lessons into practice, but they quickly wander from our mind as soon as we return to our workstation. According to Forbes, one of the main reasons why these workplace training sessions fail is due to a lack of follow-up.

When follow-up isn’t automatic -which is generally the case with a soft skills training session- your brain finds it difficult to retain the information. On the other hand, when you’re forced to revisit the skills you were taught and use them in your actual day-to-day work, as is the case with mobile learning, the information “sticks” better as a result of your deliberate practice.

If you learned something important through a mobile learning session, recalling the information is simple: You simply pick up your mobile device and access the lesson directly!

Mobile Learning Keeps Your Technological Skills Up To Date

In a world where two-thirds of Americans own a smartphone, it’s clear that mobile devices are here for the “long-haul”. This is a boon for workers of all generations, because now you have a means to stay up to date on the latest trends and training.

Make no mistake about it, the workplace of the future will feature more and more devices and fewer paper and pens, so staying ahead of technology trends is one of the easiest ways you can stay competitive and move forward in your career. In fact, the skills you’ve picked up through mobile learning can often make you a valuable resource for your peers… further solidifying your station as a “linchpin” that holds teams together.

It’s simple: If your plan is to incorporate a mobile learning strategy for your staff, then you’re solidifying your status as a leader in the workplace. Rather than utilizing a tired and old training technique that your employees will forget in a month’s time, by embracing mobile learning you’re helping your teams succeed by giving them the information they need to make better decisions.

In short, your employee’s success is a direct reflection of your leadership skills, and embracing mobile learning is a simple way to ensure that success.

Workers will respect the freedom and variety that comes with mobile learning, and most employees will jump at the chance to receive free training that’s relevant to their job. By using the mobile learning model, you’re not only giving them the best chance to succeed but proving yourself a modern leader who understands the workplace of the future as well.

Why embracing mobile learning will make you a leader at work

September is here and the team at Go1 are excited to release the latest version of our system, packed with updates and improvements to the Go1 Platform. In this update we have allowed students to un enroll themselves from courses, administrators set up their custom embed codes from their dashboard, we've added more integrations, and more!

Find out more about all of the updates below:

Administrators no longer have to spend time un-enrolling users from courses that are no longer relevant to them, as all users now have the ability to leave a course with the click of a button.

Administrators can now approve users for courses

Rather than having users simply clicking on enroll to start taking a course, administrators can now set the action button on a course page to 'Enquire'. This allows the administrator to view all applicants and approve or deny access as required.

Customise embed settings for your administrator dashboard

Embedding your Go1 courses in your website has never been easier. This version has moved all of your embed settings to the Portal Settings are of your dashboard, where you can simply select your display settings and generate a code.

Integrations with Intercom & Autopilot have been added

Long domain names are now accepted in the onboarding wizard

Notifications on required fields within the student profile have been improved

Text display on mobile devices has been improved

New error notification will show if a user invite fails for any reason

If you have any questions about any of the updates and improvements listed above, please let us know and our Customer Success Team can help you out!


The Go1 team are excited to announce that they have been selected as a finalist for the 2016 Premier of Queensland Export Awards.

The awards celebrate business excellence in international trade and recognises exporters from across the state who compete in 12 industry categories.

Go1 was chosen as one of four finalists in the digital technologies category.

After starting the year with a bang, Go1 has already been recognised for their achievements by several organisations, including being named in the global Disrupt 100,  Anthill’s Smart 100 Readers’ Choice Winners 2016, and being listed as a finalist in the First National Bank’s 2016 Business Innovation Awards.

“We’re extremely honoured and proud to be named as a finalist in the 2016 Premier of Queensland Export Awards,” Go1 CEO Andrew Barnes said.

“It is a testament to the hard work and commitment by everyone at Go1, and recognition of what we have achieved in a short span."

“Go1 is a Brisbane-headquartered company aggressively planting its seeds across the world as we continue to see huge demand for our services globally,” Mr Barnes said.

The awards ceremony will be held on 20 October at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, Southbank with both the Honourable Annastacia Palaszczuk MP, Premier of Queensland, Minister for the Arts and The Honourable Jackie Trad, Deputy Premier, Minister for Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning and Minister for Trade and Investment as guests of honour.

Go1 named finalist in 2016 Premier of Queensland Export Awards

We looked recently at the importance of sexual harassment policies in the workplace, to help employers and managers create safe, inclusive workspaces for their staff. As we’ve said before, all employees have the right to work in a positive and non-threatening work environment, free from any form of sexual harassment.

Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case, with sexual harassment remaining a serious issue in many American workplaces. Being subjected to unwelcome and inappropriate behaviour at work, while trying to carry on and perform well under the usual stresses of a job, can have damaging and long-lasting effects on an individual.

When incidences of sexual harassment occur within a company, they also have serious repercussions and consequences for the organization as a whole. In the United States, laws have been put in place to protect both employees and employers from the long-reaching impacts of sexual harassment. Did you know that as an employer, neglecting to implement and practice proper anti-harassment policies may be a violation of both state and federal law?

Today we’ll look at how sexual harassment impacts the workplace and the negative effects it can have on both individuals and organizations. We’ll also point you in the direction of some online resources containing more information about workplace harassment, to help you navigate this important topic.

When an employee is being subjected to sexual harassment, the workplace becomes a hostile environment, with the constant threat of physical and/or emotional harm. This can lead to severe distress for victims, with individuals at risk of developing mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, PTSD or panic attacks, as well as the physical symptoms that accompany these disorders. 

Low productivity, motivation and morale levels, or high rates of sick leave or absenteeism, may also be signs that an employee is suffering from some form of harassment. As well as causing direct and immediate suffering for individuals, sexual harassment can interfere with work performance and career progression, and even result in people being forced out of their job and income completely.

How sexual harassment impacts organizations

A workplace environment that fails to properly address the issue of sexual harassment will be at risk of developing signs of a negative work culture – low morale, discontent employees and high levels of absenteeism will soon be reflected in lower productivity and profits.

Financially, companies can expect to face higher rates of staff turnover, with the added strains of hiring and training new staff, as well as the expense of sexual harassment lawsuits. A sexual harassment lawsuit will cost your company significant amounts of money, in addition to damaging your reputation and brand name.

Let’s look at the case of California-based company Braun Electric. 

A case of sexual harassment in California

In 2012, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), an agency enforcing federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination in the United States, instructed Braun Electric to pay $82,500 for failing to address a sexually hostile work environment created by a manager.

The male manager continually subjected female staff to sexual harassment in the form of explicit propositions and grotesque sexual remarks, with one female employee forced to quit as a result of the ongoing hostile work environment.

Braun’s management did not act to address complaints from staff, with supervisors neglecting to report the ongoing incidences of sexual harassment they witnessed. The company failed to protect its employees.

As the director for the EEOC, Melissa Barrios said, "As agents of the employer, supervisors and managers should act as role models and promote an environment free of harassment. Employers should make sure that supervisory staff is trained not only on the laws against workplace harassment but also on how to effectively prevent and address such issues."

As well as paying the amount enforced, Braun Electric was instructed to retain an external equal employment opportunity monitor to review and revise its existing policies and procedures. The company also agreed to provide annual training for all staff on their rights as employees, as well as additional training for supervisory staff on how to properly deal with these issues.   

Learn more about sexual harassment policies

Managers can play a significant role in preventing workplace harassment. As a manager or team leader, it’s very important that you’re up-to-date with the sexual harassment laws in your state and have solid anti-harassment policies in place to deal with incidences in the proper way.

Does your organization have a strong policy around sexual harassment? Commit to creating a positive and safe environment for your staff, by developing and implementing an effective strategy that prevents and addresses workplace harassment.

You might like to learn more about this area through an online course such as Subtle Sexual Harassment – Management’s New Responsibilities. This short course goes beyond the basic definitions of sexual harassment, to examine the legal liability issues and questions of personal responsibility that managers must face. It offers guidance on important factors to consider when creating an effective sexual harassment policy, as well as practical advice on how to handle reports and complaints.

Subtle Sexual Harassment Training Scenes is another practical, informative resource for managers, with each online training module dramatizing an example of workplace harassment. Throughout the course, the social, legal and psychological impact of the events in each scene is examined, providing learners with tools for navigating this issue.

For more insights, be sure to subscribe to the Go1 newsletter to stay on top of all the latest L&D trends. Or, you can book a demo today to find out how Go1 can help with your team’s learning needs.

We’ll look at how sexual harassment impacts the workplace and the negative effects it can have on both individuals and organisations.

The impact of sexual harassment in the workplace

Welcome to the Go1 blog. Helping you to achieve your L&D goals through the latest learning and development insights, trends, and technology.

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