Our harassment training was a shitshow

"Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo" (thetomselleck) 02/28/2018 at 20:00 • Filed to: PERLATIKS

4

40

All it was supposed to be was: “Hey, here’s the law, here are the protected groups, here is what’s acceptable and not acceptable, aaaand sign here.” But no. The peanut gallery was too emboldened for no apparent reason.

Here is the cliffnotes version:

- When the presenter used a real-life example of someone being terminated (example of retaliation) for reporting that she had been harassed and assaulted over multiple years, someone asked, “Well, why didn’t she just quit?”

- Another person protested — for about 2 gruesome minutes — that he should be allowed to comment on a woman’s body as long as he didn’t mean sexual by it. About six women said, “We don’t want you to comment on our bodies.” The presenter said, “That’s a form of harassment.” But then he protested some more.

- The same person said that companies are justified in firing a whistleblower to retain the accused because they contribute more profit to the company than the victim did. I faceplamed so hard.

- When the presenter said that a white, male, 29 year old wasn’t covered under Title VII, ADA, or AEDA, all hell broke loose in the room. I didn’t care for the example, as last I checked, white is a race, and male is a gender, so she’s probably technically wrong... The point she was trying to make is that a white male young boy is very unlikely to be the target of discrimination in comparison to minority groups. But I didn’t say anything. The various people I assume frequent Reddit’s Male Rights page came out swinging though. One guy said that it’s not fair that white men aren’t protected. Hmm.

- The “we don’t like WEHMEN” corner of the room had a side conversation throughout the entire meeting, so much so you couldn’t even hear the presenter. The CEO had to stand up and tell them to be quiet, like they were a bunch of children during a school assembly. Actually, children would be better behaved than those guys.

After the meeting...

- Someone said that the 29-year old white male example was “playing the feminist angle.”

- Various grumblings about a recent incident at work where someone very much was the victim of retaliation for reporting harassment (and they were).

- My cubicle neighbor claiming that, “Everything we do and say is harassment, so we should just shut up and never talk to each other!” End-of-Days style.

- Another person claiming that gender discrimination is a myth perpetuated by the far left. Yes, this is also the same guy who doesn’t like Mexicans I’ve mentioned before.

My only regret is that the meeting wasn’t filmed.

CB > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 02/28/2018 at 20:06

9

You ever wonder if everyone else around you is crazy?

Chariotoflove > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 02/28/2018 at 20:06

3

We are currently arranging for our department to attend the mandated diversity training.

I am not looking forward to this.

Phyrxes once again has a wagon! > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 02/28/2018 at 20:07

9

Wow.... To think that I complain about having to watch videos and take quizzes instead of this kind of joy. I’ll keep my videos and quizzes thank you very much.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > CB 02/28/2018 at 20:07

1

Yes.

Spanfeller is a twat > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 02/28/2018 at 20:08

0

I had a similar experience, but it was more like this:

Teacher:“Kids, whose in favor of affirmative action?”
*Half of the class asks what affirmative action is*
Teacher: “I sent you a resource so that you can research it properly”
*All the white kids gasp*
Teacher: “So, raise your hands”
All the white kids: “This is so unfair! why can’t they understand school is just as hard for me as it is to them!”

I think that most conversations about gender or race relations begin with an absolute ignorance on other’s experience. It’s not the kids fault... It’s just that we didn’t know better. Now that we’re adults we should try to empathize more and not be “that jerk”

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 02/28/2018 at 20:10

2

Would’ve loved to be a fly on the wall for that one! We have anyway training on this topic. Never that much of a shit show. Just a lot of joking. We do it in groups of about ten at a time though. All the people (techs) I’ve been through it with understand the weight of it. We’ve had two people fired over harassment in the last year, a manager and an advisor, we’re much better off without them.

HammerheadFistpunch > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 02/28/2018 at 20:13

7

I’m so glad my company is big enough that these things happen in online modules. Even then, the question they askhave to make you wonder what kind of person didn’t already understand to not/do that thing.

I always think of this when in these meetings.

I shouldn’t have to tell you this... But here we are.

wafflesnfalafel > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 02/28/2018 at 20:14

4

I’ve had two managers fired for issues like this and an RVP pushed out because he let it happen. A single big lawsuit can effectively take down a small company. I pay attention. Plus, I don’t want to be an a$$hole. I guarantee if any of those yahoo’s daughters or mothers were treated like they treat other people they would have a cow.

NKato > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 02/28/2018 at 20:16

2

I had harassment training just before the turn of the year while I was still (and still am) a greenhorn at the company. It was a simple video that defined the different examples of sexual harassment and made them so painfully clear what they were.

Nobody had any objections.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > CB 02/28/2018 at 20:17

3

Wonder?

RPM esq. > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 02/28/2018 at 20:19

5

This sounds like hell on earth, and also a good opportunity to identify people to lay off before they get the company’s pants sued off.

Chariotoflove > HammerheadFistpunch 02/28/2018 at 20:20

0

We have that for most things at the university. I usually skip right to the quiz at the end. But for some reason, they sometimes feel that these hot button topics need face to face attention.

facw > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 02/28/2018 at 20:25

2

I hope HR was taking notes, sounds like it was obvious who needed additional training.

Ours was a set of online slides (with video), followed by absurdly easy quizzes, which anyone who isn’t a horrible person should have been able to ace without any of the content (and probably most people who are horrible would be able to guess what they were looking for anyway). You can’t complain to a slide deck, so no weird MRA complaints surfaced. Clearly CYA material. The section on retaliation was especially bad, since while they of course gave examples of retaliation and said it was not ok, the main thrust seemed to be being fired after you report something is not necessarily retaliation, so don’t you dare try to sue us if it happens.

gettingoldercarguy > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 02/28/2018 at 20:30

0

One of my younger brothers has views akin to this. I had to explain to him he’s the first type of employee I’d fire. His potential risk is too great and he invariably alienates other employees by his own prejudice/bigotry.

merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 02/28/2018 at 20:36

5

Had me thinking of this episode:

merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 02/28/2018 at 20:41

0

Textured Soy Protein > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 02/28/2018 at 20:44

0

I’ve never had a live harassment training. It’s always been some shitty online course that looks like it was made in 2003, and occasionally will have unintentionally hilarious stock photos .

OPPOsaurus WRX > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 02/28/2018 at 20:56

0

My take, all people are assholes and they are all overly sensitive

OPPOsaurus WRX > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 02/28/2018 at 20:57

1

Lol if 2 people were fired from my office that would be the entire company

random001 > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 02/28/2018 at 21:03

0

TIL there’s a Male Rights subreddit...

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > Phyrxes once again has a wagon! 02/28/2018 at 21:03

1

I was thinking the same thing.

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 02/28/2018 at 21:06

1

I take back what I said this morning. I now feel better about annual exercise my four or five hours of online classes and quizzes. That said, any time the peanut gallery is allowed to participate in a big group meeting is going to be bad. At the university it doesn’t get this particular flavor of bad, but still a flavor of bad nonetheless. Those folks don’t reason out their what if scenarios internally, or well.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 02/28/2018 at 21:09

0

I’ve been doing this training annually for the last 15 Year’s. There are still people out there that think that these rules don’t apply to them. I watched an electrical engineer get fired for doing dumb shit, at a fortune 100 company. The guy made my skin crawl! He even offended Ernie who ran the copy and mail room, let me tell you Ernie was always taking the conversation to far.

fhrblig > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 02/28/2018 at 21:12

1

Wow.

I’ve been at my job for almost two months now, and the culture is completely the opposite of what you describe. I spent a little time today while it was slow, reading about their various diversity initiatives and such. I read a statement from the CEO that went into detail about the current focus on sexual harassment and why everyone needs to have a workplace where they feel welcome and secure, and he did it in a way that felt absolutely sincere and genuine, and in his message he provided information and resources for those who may be struggling with that. It’s also a company that routinely makes all of the “best places to work” lists. I feel very fortunate that I managed to join them.

fintail > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 02/28/2018 at 21:14

0

Sounds like your employer is itching to be taken down by a lawsuit or three.

Kiltedpadre > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 02/28/2018 at 21:20

1

My last sexual harassment training was amusing for a different reason. I was forced to take the training even though I worked alone.

That was probably the only time where keeping my hands to myself could be harassment if done wrong apparently.

Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 02/28/2018 at 21:20

1

These people are disgusting.

My bird IS the word > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 02/28/2018 at 21:46

0

In fact everyone is in a protected class, except people who make stuff up. Like sovereign citizens. I think you may be witnessesing the actual intelligence level of most people. Its shockingly low. Humans are pretty unevolved all things considered.

shop-teacher > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 02/28/2018 at 22:19

2

If it makes you feel better, every single year I have to sit through 8-15 timed web based presentations, that take 15-40 minutes each, followed by a quiz. They cover such fascinating topics as:

Diabeetus will jack a kid up

Don’t lick up their blood, you could get the Hep.

Teenagers are emotional

Don’t catcall your coworkers

And my personal favorite; Don’t have sex with the children

Every.

Damn.

Year.

I’ve been doing this long enough, that some of these things haunt my dreams. I mean, it’s all good information, but why must I hear it every year? Some of them are every other year, but still. Do they actually think I forgot that it isn’t ok to sexually groom a child? Because lemme tell you, I’ve got that down patt.

gettingoldercarguy > shop-teacher 02/28/2018 at 22:41

1

It’s not you, it’s the defense that somebody wasn’t told frequently or proximal enough to the actual event which mitigates their culpability.

Cash Rewards > HammerheadFistpunch 02/28/2018 at 22:44

1

Every time you think “I shouldn’t have to tell you this”, it’s because somebody needed telling, wasn’t told, and is now missing some toes and fingers. But their lawnmower is clog free.

ttyymmnn > Chariotoflove 02/28/2018 at 22:46

1

The symphony made us all do online harassment training a couple of years ago. You weren’t allowed to skip to the end, and if you opened a new window or a new tab the video stopped. I guess it seems a little odd to do that in an orchestra, but the music director of the Austin Opera was recently fired—in the middle of a run of performances—over allegations of harassment.

ttyymmnn > shop-teacher 02/28/2018 at 22:47

1

Don’t have sex with the children

You know, you would think that some things would just be a given. Sadly, reality has proven otherwise.

shop-teacher > gettingoldercarguy 02/28/2018 at 23:01

1

I know. Still really frustrating though.

shop-teacher > ttyymmnn 02/28/2018 at 23:02

0

Yep.

DipodomysDeserti > My bird IS the word 02/28/2018 at 23:09

0

“Humans are pretty unevolved all things considered.”

Quite the opposite. We are so evolved that even the most ignorant among us are able to procreate.

Chariotoflove > ttyymmnn 02/28/2018 at 23:42

1

I’ve never seen measures like that before to make sure you pay attention. Guess that’s what phones are for.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 03/01/2018 at 09:03

1

My wife just had harassment training; I told her that I hope that means she’s going to grab my ass more often.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 03/01/2018 at 09:05

0

“The CEO had to stand up and tell them to be quiet.”

Wow - will there be any repercussions from that?

Phyrxes once again has a wagon! > shop-teacher 03/01/2018 at 17:14

1

Same, I was so happy when the MSDS stuff got updated as they had to make a new one instead of the old one that was a relic from the 80s or whenever the last time they changed those previously was.