Harassment Prevention at University of South Alabama

Despite decades of legislative activity to combat it, workplace harassment and discrimination continue to occur all too often. According to a United Educators (UE) claims study, UE and its member institutions spent $31 million to defend and resolve workplace harassment and discrimination claims over a recent 10-year period. These statistics call for a renewed emphasis on prevention, and many higher education institutions are revamping their employment training policies and practices to take a fresh approach to this issue. One such institution is University of South Alabama (USA). A complex organization with nearly 5,500 employees at five different campuses, clinics, hospitals, and a cancer center, USA has found success by being ahead of the curve in updating its compliance training protocol.

USA responded to evolving Title VII and Title IX mandates by implementing a new system of employee harassment prevention education, using both in-person and online learning methods. The training begins with each new hire, whose orientation includes a live presentation and an online harassment prevention course by EduRisk from UE, Workplace Harassment: Fundamentals. The online course is then retaken biennially by all employees, including faculty members, managers, and those at the executive level. Smaller service presentations and training sessions for students, faculty, and staff are available on a voluntary basis twice a semester through the Innovation in Learning Center (ILC), where trainers partner with faculty members and the victims advocacy coordinator to further education and promote a safe campus environment. The human resources section of USA’s website centralizes these initiatives with comprehensive training instructions, downloadable policies, upcoming HR training workshops, and other helpful documents and links.

USA attributes part of its success in implementing an effective harassment prevention program to UE’s EduRisk online course. “We feel fortunate to have training at no charge, with quality programming and technical support,” said Paula Buerger, EEO manager at USA. “We’ve been really focused on requiring our employees to be aware of Title IX, Campus SaVE, and workplace harassment issues in general. We have the whole campus tuning in and talking about what they need to be focused on because we’ve had a consistent message.” 

The convenience of an online platform—coupled with the fact that employees are trained every other year—has helped USA meet its goal of a 100 percent employee completion rate for the training program, Buerger said. 

This high completion rate has resulted in a greater general understanding of what reporting expectations are and where to direct reports of harassment at USA. “[Employees] are feeling more comfortable reaching out, and I think it’s probably just as important that there is a greater understanding of who to reach out to,” said Dr. Krista Harrell, USA’s Title IX coordinator and associate dean of students. “Despite the expanding knowledge base, I wouldn’t necessarily say we have a seen a spike in reporting, but in just the last two years there have been more ‘is this something or isn’t this something [that I need to report]?’ inquiries from employees,” she said.

Promoting a healthy, harassment-free workplace is not only vital for employee well-being, it is critical in cultivating a strong sense of community and shared campus mission. “UE’s program has served as a foundation of general expectations for the community,” Harrell said. “The program informs all employees what their rights are, what their responsibilities are, and to me that’s important.” 

By Mike Toohey, communications and member engagement specialist