Harassment in Workplaces and Dimensions of Adult Learning - Essay Example

Unit 3DLA assignment Explanation of Activity Harassment is an unacceptable conduct in workplaces because it creates an abusive job environment (Einarsen, 2011, p. 67-8). Harassment in workplace is created through unwelcomed behavior, a hostile environment and liabilities (Jasper, 2002, p. 89-91). It is imperative to train people in workplaces on harassment because it causes embarrassment, emotional distress and discomfort. This training session involves enlightening the staff members on how they can deal with harassment in work places (Einarsen, 2011, p. 78). Since this training is carried on adult individuals, the training will be collaborative and problem based with great emphasis on laying equality between the tutor and the learners. The training session will start off with an ice breaker where one of the learners will be required to introduce the other learner in order to allow them to be free and at ease. After the introduction, the leaners will get into a discussion where they will explore their ideas on the meaning of harassment and the different measures of dealing with harassment. Afterwards, I will appreciate the learners for their contributions. It is anticipated that the adult learners will bring in their life encounters and knowledge to the learning experiences. During this session, as the tutor I will help the leaners to draw on their encounters and assist them identify existing conducts of harassment in the workplaces. I will dig into the group for more information on the topic. Some of the learners may have information that may be useful to the training session. This may be aided by the videos that I will show, shedding light on the topic under discussion and the practical matters and insinuations of relevance. Adult learners may be resistant to information imposed on them; as a result, this session will offer a self-directed learning that will enhance their internal motivation (Brookfield, 1996, p. 49). As a tutor, it will be imperative to maintain a rapport with the learners in order to promote the question and answer session. The session will also offer an interactive and constructive feedback that will allow both positive and negative. The session will involve critical and informed reasoning when making choices on the solutions and will be accompanied by active participation of the learners. It is anticipated that this session will equip the managers and the supervisors with information on the available laws on anti-discrimination in workplaces. During the session, the leaners will be offered opportunities to attain skills on and beyond the subject. The skills to be attained are generic and engross use of technology, evaluating and synthesizing information and numeracy. These skills will offer the staff an opportunity to develop and grow in the workplace (Rothwell, 2008, p. 124-26). The available resources to be used will include mini-whiteboards, internet access and video examples, blank anti-discrimination measures assessment form. Assessment during the session will be done through using initial discussion to determine the learners in need of additional support, in addition to the learners who may require more complex additional activities. I will keenly listen to the discussions to identify the correctness of the leaners and their misconstructions (Jasper, 2002, p. 52-54). Assessment will also be carried out through the activities and the blank forms issued in order to determine the progress and make resolutions on what the tutor will need to do before the end of the session. The tutor will also make use of the final part of the session to check the learners’ apprehension of the topic. Activity 3: Reflective Statement Workplace training is significant in ensuring the company’s growth and development. Effective training at the workplace can enable an organization avoid violations of the laws and regulations and lawsuits filed by workers (Reed & Signorelli, 2011, P. 178). Workplace harassment is a problem that is present in almost all workplaces. Harassment comes in different forms that workers in organizations need to be enlightened about. The learners turned up on time and were settled before the training session. I take this moment to congratulate them for their timely settlement and active participation. Through the training session, the learners actively participated in the activities and shared their experiences and offered solutions to some of the harassment types. Active participation allowed the learner to know what to focus more on the training (Price & Nelson, 2013, p. 35). The learners did not only want to relate to the examples chosen by the learner but also wanted to draw on their real life experiences. This allowed them to relate well with the theory taught (Kozlowski &Salas, 2009, p. 68-72). As a result, the actual training was quite different from the planned session. This is because the training had to focus more on the responses of the learners (Clifford & Thorpe, 2007, p. 142). The learners offered many of their real life experiences which had to be used to offer examples on harassment in workplaces. The training session started off with an introduction of the session objectives and what the learners would learn from the training session and how it would profit them. This gave the learners a scope of what they anticipated to learn and gain from the training session. The learners also got a chance to be free with each other and knowing each other better by introducing the other person next to them. This allowed the learners to be free to talk, particularly in the groups. The learners were required to self-examine their beliefs, attitudes, and actions towards those who are different and identify at least two types of harassment and understand what is expected when harassment takes place. After introduction the learners had a discussion where they explored their ideas on their understanding of harassment, risk and control measures. This proved to show that the learners had ideas on the topic and it revealed that the leaners were acquainted to the topic since some of them had experienced it in their work stations. Since most of them had an idea of harassment in workplaces, the training session was smooth and was in most cases guided by the learners who had much of their experiences to share. As a result, little time was afforded to the synthesis and analysis of the laws and regulations on anti-discrimination laws in the workplace (Rather, 2010, p. 187-88). However, the learners were conversant with the numerous laws enacted in the country that protects them from discrimination in the workplaces. In this regard, the most effective part of the session was the one that involved organizing the learners into small groups of three people to come up with solutions on the measures that can be taken to deal with harassment. In this session, the learners offered many insights on how they had dealt with their situations they had encountered. One particular learner described how her job was endangered by ending a passionate relationship with a co-worker. The learner was disciplined as she had denied the other employee sexual favors. She was disciplined for attendance issues by the co-worker, who was her supervisor. This resulted to sexual harassment. However, no action was taken as there was no evidence to show that she had been disciplined for denial of sexual favors. She tried to file the report to the human resources officer but no action was taken. This offered a challenge to me as a tutor as the learners wanted to know how to present facts that can be used as evidence against sexual harassment that happens when one denies the other person sexual favors. However, one of the leaners proposed that this can be avoided if in the first place employees do not engage in sexual relationships with their co-workers or supervisors. In order to make the learners safe, engaged and comfortable, I created a positive environment through the informal seat arrangement, offering refreshments such as coffee, biscuits and some chocolates, allowing feedback and active participation and having the power point presentation (Sadler-Smith, 2005, p. 76-78). Having the informal arrangement made everyone easy and set an informal mood where everyone would communicate and relate freely with each other. This allowed everyone to feel safe and at the right place. The teaching session was filled with fun and was dynamic. The refreshments also created an outstanding mood with everyone happy that their needs were catered. The slides facilitated the presentation of the theory and facts on how to curb harassment in the work places (American Society for Training and Development, 2010, p. 35-38). The slides made it easier for the learners to apprehend the topic in discussion and allowed them to ask questions on matters that they did not understand. For instance, one of the learners requested for clarification on sexual harassment and other behaviors in the workplace that may amount to harassment. The learners felt engaged and responsible for their own learning and development in the workplace in addition to being comfortable enough to participate in the group activities. This allowed them to share their experiences and still hold their self-esteem high. The organization of the learners into individual groups of three individuals was effective. This is because it allowed the learners to share their experiences and come up with some solutions as a group (Westberg & Jason, 1996, p. 67). However, some of the learners were shy to share some of their experiences. They felt that their colleagues would mock them or think badly of them. In addition, the learners were particularly active and their attention was well captured by the colorful presentations and the video clips played. For instance, the funny clip played at the beginning of the session on the impact of being closed minded helped in keeping the training session interesting and engaged the learners more since they did not want to miss anything that was been taught or shown. The stories that were used in the training session assisted the learners to reflect on their experiences. Story telling imparted information in a way that the learners could apprehend. Stories are integral parts of our lives and play an immense role in the way people think. After every story, the learners were required to jot down the moral story learnt from the story. This would be part of the assessment that would be done at the end of the session. After every learner’s contribution, I thanked them for being attentive and reinforced aspects in the story that support the learning aims and point areas that the learners should remember. Additionally, the resources available were adequate for the learners. All the learners were provided with adequate writing materials where they could write everything that they grasped in the training session. They were also offered free internet access where the learners were required to look for different definitions of harassment in workplaces and discuss it with their colleagues. The methods employed in the learning process were effective. The active participation of the learners is one of the methods that were successful. The learners seemed to actively contribute and, as the tutor, I did not interrupt while they were giving their suggestions and experiences. Needless to say, before sharing the experiences, it was imperative to set rules on whatever was shared on the group. It was significant to notify the learners that whatever was shared in the group discussions would online remain within the group members in order to avoid any privacy issues that may arise later. However, one of the ineffective methods that may require changes is the power point presentation. The slides did not have adequate animations that would make it interesting. In such a learning session, it is recommended that such presentations make the learners comfortable. In such an informal environment, it would have been better if the presentations had been informal with animations and other effects that would make them interesting. Additionally, the learning session only targeted the managers and the supervisors. This should have targeted all the employees in the work place. The training assessment was carried out during the session and after the session where the learners were required to answer some questions and jot down what they had gained from the stories and video clips played in the session. The learners were given their scores and allowed to meet me later during refreshment time for enquiries. References American Society for Training and Development, & ASTD Press (2010). Training basics. Alexandria, Va.: ASTD Press. Brookfield, S. (1986). Understanding and facilitating adult learning: A comprehensive analysis of principles and effective practices. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Clifford, J., & Thorpe, S. (2007). Workplace learning & development: Delivering competitive advantage for your organization. London: Kogan Page Ltd. Einarsen, S. (2011). Bullying and harassment in the workplace: Developments in theory, research, and practice. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press. Foley, G. (2007). Dimensions of Adult Learning. Maidenhead: McGraw-Hill International (UK) Ltd. Jasper, M. C. (2002). Harassment in the workplace. Dobbs Ferry, N.Y: Oceana Publications, Inc. Kozlowski, S., & Salas, E. (2009). Learning, Training, and Development in Organizations. Taylor and Francis. Price, K., & Nelson, K. (2013). Planning Effective Instruction: Diversity Responsive Methods and Management. Cengage Learning. Rather, A. (2010). Psychology Of Learning And Development. Discovery Publishing House. Reed, L., & Signorelli, P. (2011). Workplace learning & leadership. Chicago: American Library Association. Rothwell, W. J. (2008). Adult learning basics. Alexandria, Va: ASTD Press. Sadler-Smith, E. (2005). Learning and development for managers: Integrating individual and organizational learning. Oxford: Blackwell. Westberg, J., & Jason, H. (1996). Fostering learning in small groups: A practical guide. New York: Springer. Read More