An Unusual Harassment Training That Was Warmly Received and Also Inspired Bystanders

Abstract

Harassment and bullying are hard to endure and hard to stop. Many targets and bystanders fear to ask for help, fearing loss of relationships and other bad consequences. All organizations need to train people about harassment. But such training is now unwelcome to many, and it is hard to prove that it is effective. This essay describes an effort to teach supervisors how to receive harassment concerns competently and effectively. Faculty and staff supervisors were asked to critique the performance of peers on videos—who were kind but making common mistakes—for their strengths and weaknesses as complaint-handlers. The training was voluntary, very well received, and effective in several different ways.