5 Tips To Implement Anti-Bullying Online Training In Your Organization

5 Tips To Implement Anti-Bullying Online Training In Your Organization
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Summary: We’re often told schoolyard bullies will grow out of it, but sometimes they just turn into office pests. How can you turn around bad childhood habits to create a more conducive work environment?

Anti-Bullying Online Training: How To Implement It In Your Organization

What does bullying look like among adults? Lots of managers rage and rant, but if they make personal comments and belittle you individually, it’s a problem. When you start dreading work because of interactions with a particular colleague, you could be a victim. If your shift manager consistently assigns you unpleasant tasks and inconvenient time slots, that’s not a good sign. When you’re persistently passed over for promotions and opportunities with no solid reason, it may be a targeted response. Now that you have a starting point, what next? Here are 5 top tips to implement a successful anti-bullying online training program in your organization.

Insider Tips To Launch Anti-Bullying Training Today

1. Spot The Problem

When kids bully each other, the signs are recognizable. Victims may sink into themselves or seek excuses to cut school. You might see physical evidence in the form of bruises, injuries, or bloody noses. For adults, especially at work, it can be harder to spot because it’s rarely a physical attack. It’s generally more insidious. For example, the most common form of bullying is sexual harassment. And that could be anything from distasteful jokes to unwanted touching. Other times, it could be unfair work rotations or a poorly positioned parking space.

Train your team on how to identify the problem. Online training simulations are a good way to do this, and empathy online training is helpful too. Put your corporate learners through online training simulations and Virtual Reality modules. These can be played from multiple angles. Each corporate learner gets a turn as the victim, a bystander, and even the bully themselves. It may help them recognize the inappropriateness of their actions, and/or translate it when they see it in others. The VR module should include optional reactions in a branching scenario style.

2. Find The Perpetrator

Other times, you can see a colleague start to act strangely. Their personality might change, or they may begin to avoid social office activities. It can be hard to get people to open up, so you have to be observant. Train your team to be observant as well. Anti-bullying online training could, for example, consist of an ‘innocent’ exercise, asking everyone to (anonymously) assess their colleagues. This could easily be plugged into the LMS. Review the results and look for any patterns.

You might even play it the other way. Ask everyone to list three people they want to work with (or not work with). See who features the most. Singling out the person will cause problems, especially if you don’t intend to fire them. So instead, offer the whole team – including the bully and their victims – anti-bullying online training in how to respond. Responses include effective escalation and de-escalation. And since everyone received the anti-bullying online training, it won’t draw undue attention to the victim when they implement their newly acquired techniques.

3. Offer Viable Solutions

Sometimes, office bullying isn’t a one-on-one thing. It may take the form of a ‘group attack’ where everyone zeroes into an individual. Their scheme may be justified or it could be some kind of feud, just like in high school. Whether the incident is driven by mob mentality or esteem issues, your office culture has enabled it. This may require a complete overhaul of the attitude in your office. Emotional intelligence training can complement your anti-bully online training. It lets you see through the eyes of the victim (and the perpetrator).

After all, hurt people hurt people, even at work. Sometimes bullies are simply distributing their own pain, so ‘healing’ them will stop their aggressive tendencies. But even here, localizing the anti-bullying online training or restricting to just the bully is a bad idea. They will feel picked on and get worse. So, train everyone without specifying who the target is, both for the victim and their bully. Keep it all discrete to diffuse their experience.

4. Frame It With A Supportive Corporate eLearning Culture

A supportive and communicative corporate eLearning culture creates a framework for your anti-bullying efforts. Employees must know that they are free to voice their concerns and opinions. And be encouraged to interact with peers to successfully resolve issues in order to feel safe in the workplace. For example, you can host weekly live events, as a part of your anti-bullying online training, where everyone has the opportunity to share their experiences and feedback. Or launch an online discussion that allows employees to offer tips and resources that focus on harassment prevention.

5. Social Learning Bridges Gaps

Sitting behind a computer and viewing demos is one thing. But interacting with peers gives employees the power to explore perspectives firsthand. For example, a social media group or discussion board enables them to discuss their emotions and insights. Their peers see things from a different viewpoint and become more culturally aware. You can even incorporate group collaboration projects that strengthen the team dynamic. As well as give employees the chance to build interpersonal skills and figure out how to effectively resolve conflicts. Social learning bridges the gaps that exist between your employees to make them feel like they’re part of a bigger community. They still retain their individualism, but also learn how to respect and honor each other’s differences.

Conclusion

Unfortunately, bullying doesn’t always end at school. Lots of people in power take advantage of those below, beside, or around them. And it happens in the office too. By developing and implementing an anti-bullying online training program, you take a stand. You equip bullies to see the damage they’re doing, and arm victims to ward off future incidents. Take a multi-pronged approach, teaching your staff to identify, report, and resolve the problem. Couple this with emotional intelligence online training content. An altered perspective will go a long way in making the workplace, warmer, friendlier, and safer for everyone.

Anti-bullying online training begins at onboarding. Find the best bespoke eLearning content providers and off-the-shelf solutions for your new hire online training program in our exclusive directory.