Legal Training Program (for Human Resource Management Class) - Essay Example

The workforce is becoming increasingly diverse. This contributes to the escalating rate of discrimination. One of the types of discrimination that happens in the workplace is sexual harassment. This is the most unwelcome and embarrassing behavior. Not only it can negatively influence the work performance of an employee, but it can lead to costly lawsuits for the organization. To improve productivity and to address the issue of sexual harassment, a good training program must be implemented. According to Konrad (2007), many of the US organizations are mandating the application of sexual harassment training program especially to their managers (p. 268). The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the federal government had been successful in addressing the concern on sexual harassment by ensuring that organizations under its supervision have conducted a training program for their employees (Swift, 1995, p. 53). A higher percentage of employees have expressed their satisfaction with the program.

The assertiveness of the program has helped in reporting harassing behaviors which had been made easier for the victims. The same scenario had transpired in the European community particularly in the nongovernmental and voluntary organizations (Zippel, 2008, p. 66). The EU-wide campaign for sexual harassment training program had proven to be effective because more and more countries are adapting the program such as Germany, France, America and many more. There is discrimination in the workplace if there is hostility toward an individual based on sex, age, religion, race and even disability (Hoffman, 1999).

Discrimination likely occurs in the workplace almost every day as employees interact. According to the study “Sexual Harassment Awareness Training at Workplace: Can it Effect Administrators’ Perception?,” the author found that “training has significant effects on the perception of sexual harassment .” (Sabitha,