Announcement: SAFE now offers a sexual harassment prevention program
Written by Piper Stege Nelson
When Alamo Drafthouse realized that it had a deep and longstanding problem with workplace sexual harassment, they reached out to our team at SAFE.
Our master trainers proceeded to provide Alamo Drafthouse employees with BASE interactive training sessions, and taught them how to prevent and intervene in instances of sexual harassment. Their customized training addressed management’s response to harassment, identifying differences between leadership and bullying, as well as flirtation and harassment.
“Online training is fine for new employee orientation and ensuring compliance, but the in-person training that SAFE crafted for us is far more meaningful. They tailored their material specifically for our employees and led a wonderful, thoughtful discussion that delved into the grey areas of our code of conduct and the subtleties around what truly needs to happen to create safe work environments for everyone.” — Tim League, Alamo Drafthouse CEO
SAFE’s Co-CEO Kelly White explained to the Austin Chronicle: “It’s not clear cut. It’s very much about the perception of how it feels between people.”
The need for sexual harassment training
One way we are working to stop the cycle of violence in our community is by launching the BASE program. BASE (Building A Safe Environment) is specifically focused on preventing sexual harassment in the workplace but is just one service offered by SAFE Institute, our new professional services branch of SAFE.
SAFE Institute is working with businesses, educators, and government and healthcare agencies, to bring our 45+ years of experience serving and educating the community, into the companies and institutions who need our help. BASE sexual harassment trainings help employees develop a deeper understanding of sexual harassment in the workplace and its effects on workplace culture, as well as impart skills to appropriately intervene.
“The idea of validating and then giving the victim the power on how to proceed is crucial.” — BASE Sexual Harassment Training Participant
Employees who have been BASE trained so far have left feeling informed and even transformed. One recent participant said they appreciated guidance on the “concrete steps to take in response to harassment in the workplace.”
After being BASE Training, employees will be better able to define and prevent sexual harassment in a work environment. Our training explores the different forms that sexual harassment can take and helps participants understand the dynamics of upstander intervention. And when they see harassment taking place, training participants will have the skills to appropriately intervene.
Overall, the goal of BASE training is to teach employees and management how to create safe, comfortable work environments built on a positive, respectful culture.
“I thought more about how to empower the victim to speak about the harassment, and not just about how I feel.” — BASE Sexual Harassment Training Participant
Our BASE training packages include tailored workshop sessions for supervisors, HR personnel, and other employees that dive into topics beyond sexual harassment prevention. Other topics include: Navigating Difficult Conversations, Workplace Aggression Management, Understanding Power Dynamics, and Recognizing Unconcious Bias.
Learn more
If you or your organization is interested in hiring SAFE Institute to conduct BASE sexual harassment training, please fill out our contact form on the SAFE Institute website to get more information and pricing.
