|
Intent vs. Impact: Managing a Harassment-Free and Diverse Workplace, Online Courses
Review by Sandra A. Grotewohl
Anderson-davis, Inc. (877-234-1350, www.andersondavis.com), manager course, $60 per user license; employee course, $40 per user license. Quantity discounts available.
At a recent meeting of human resource professionals, I was on a panel discussing how e-learning can meet the demand for just-in-time learning for employees. The panel members all agreed that learning technology investments can lead to increased organizational effectiveness and productivity.
However, debate developed over whether technology can teach content to the employee without significant interaction with (or support from) training professionals, peers, or managers.
The two versions of the online Anderson-davis, Inc., Intent vs. Impact course for supervisors and employees prove without a doubt that web-based instruction can effectively teach interpersonal skills and behavioral topics to employees, supervisors, and managers. (There is also a federal employee version.)
EXCELLENT TRACK RECORD
Stephen Anderson has been producing award-winning video programs and delivering classroom training for over 27 years. His sexual harassment, respectful workplace, and diversity training for supervisors make use of "Live Theater" dramatizations. I’ve used his video series for several successful supervisory training initiatives. I was eager to see Stephen’s newest products.
The supervisor course, Intent vs. Impact: Managing a Harassment-Free and Diverse Workplace, consists of six lessons plus a post-test:
Introduction
How to recognize
How to stop harassment
Intervention
Receiving complaints
Preventing and dealing with retaliation
The course design features a directed learning path that prevents bypassing content or activities. The estimated time for completion is approximately two to two-and-a-half hours. The course is delivered in an attractive Flash movie format. It is easy to navigate and is available with or without audio (Section 508 compliant).
The employee course, Intent vs. Impact: Achieving a Harassment-Free and Diverse Workplace, consists of four lessons (introduction, recognition, stopping harassment, and preventing retaliation) and a post-test. The course uses the same design features as the supervisor version but is shorter, taking approximately an hour and a quarter.
"SmartLessons" can be added to the core courses or sent to employees and supervisors as follow-up reinforcement. Available in both supervisor and employee versions, the SmartLessons include:
* How to Recognize Sexual Harassment (10-14 additional scenarios)
* How to Recognize Protected Characteristics Harassment
* How to Recognize Disrespectful Behavior
Two additional SmartLessons are for supervisors only:
* Intervention—Third Party and Defensive Harasser versions
* Avoiding Interview Mistakes
HIGH QUALITY E-LEARNING
The Intent vs. Impact courses are well-designed, high-quality instruction. The content and process are substantial, yet both of the courses and the SmartLessons are delivered in straightforward, easy-to-understand language. Up-to-date workplace scenarios illustrate believable employee habits and interactions.
The female and male narrators coach the learner without lecturing or preaching. Vignettes, interactive activities, skill-building exercises, quizzes, and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's) are interspersed throughout the lessons and keep the learner actively engaged.
The lessons include scenarios illustrating comprehensive examples and "best practices." The course material fully covers how to recognize both subtle and blatant harassment and disrespectful behavior. It examines how employees create situations and how to successfully intervene to stop unacceptable behavior from escalating into a hostile work environment, workplace conflict, or violence.
The supervisor course includes training for effective interventions and receiving harassment complaints; it provides supervisors with interactive activities to apply the resolution skills they’ve learned. A “Virtual Coach” reinforces the learning and builds a higher level of awareness for potential supervisory pitfalls and mistakes. The SmartLessons are a flexible enhancement for use with the courses or to reinforce the new recognition and resolution skills.
Intent vs. Impact is effective and legally defensible harassment training that meets California AB 1825 and Connecticut’s mandated harassment training requirements. The courses include links for contacting the employer’s complaint department and to ask questions. In addition, they can be customized with information about the employer’s policy and complaint department, an executive introduction video, and scenes from the employer’s various work environments.
The hosted solution provides learner completion tracking to assure documented compliance. A Spanish language version will be released in 2007.
Recommendation:
The Intent vs. Impact courses are as close to face-to-face classroom training as technology can get. They are examples of cost-effective e-learning at its best. My recommendation is an enthusiastic yes!
Overall rating: 4.0
Note: ratings use a four-point scale, with 4.0 the highest rating and 1.0 the lowest.
|
