28 Aug How Harassment Could Derail Your Ministry
Seventy-five percent of employees have witnessed harassment in the workplace. That’s not a small number. While many ministries think that they are immune to that kind of unsavory behavior, the unfortunate reality is that people are still people who make mistakes whether or not they work for a religious organization.
While Harassment Prevention Training doesn’t really sound like something you want to curl up on the couch and watch in your downtime, a simple online training course could truly change the course of your organization. Here are three ways harassment could derail your organization and harassment prevention training could help:
1. Legally.
Lawsuit: one of the scariest words an organization could hear. The financial cost of litigation can be crippling for any ministry. Forming a harassment policy for your Staff Handbook and requiring all employees, board members, and high-level volunteers to participate in harassment prevention training goes a long way in showing your organization is doing its due diligence to protect its people if a case ever goes to court.
Training can also protect against non-compliance and the fines associated with it. Many states require employees to go through harassment prevention training once a year or once every other year and some insurance companies require harassment prevention training in their policies.
2. Culturally.
The most damaging part of leaving your organization open to harassment is the effect it has on your staff culture. When one team member suffers, the whole team feels it. Unchecked harassment could lead to a toxic staff culture that not only kills productivity but also leads to turnover.
Replacing one or more staff members takes vast amounts of both resources and time that could have been avoided. Onboarding will be an even more difficult and lengthy road as you attempt to graft this new person into an already fractured culture.
And don’t think constituents will be unaffected. The dysfunction will be felt throughout the entire organization and often congregants or volunteers will leave in search of a healthier culture to support (taking their donations with them).
Harassment training can strengthen a team by uniting them over a set of appropriate boundaries and behaviors. When everyone is on the same page, they can better support each other, working together towards a unified vision of a harassment-free workplace.
3. Personally.
Even more valuable than your organization or your culture are your individual staff members. Your most important ministry is to them. Harassment can be traumatizing, affecting not just their work performance, but their entire lives. It is not only your job to protect their work experience but to disciple them well. Living with fear and trauma is certainly not the life you want to see them live.
As a faith-based organization, you should be leading the charge to dispel harassment. Galatians 5:19-23 lays out fruit that comes from the flesh as opposed to the Spirit. We should be pursuing love and kindness, not strife and division. 1 John 4 clearly tells us over and over to love one another. We are to be the example for the world, but if harassment is not clearly outlined and prevented from entering your organization’s culture, what will set you apart?
How do you implement a training program?
Harassment prevention training is the basis from which all other prevention methods flow. Changing the culture of your organization starts with leaders and managers. Harassment often starts as conflict that could be easily prevented if addressed by leadership early on as an opportunity for discipleship and positive growth. Continue to make everyone in the organization aware of your standards including board members and high-level volunteers. The more people who are aware of what harassment looks like, the better they will be at supporting each other in eradicating it.
Make sure the training you use meets the criteria of any state law and insurance requirements. We recommend finding one geared towards faith-based organizations, as well. Because of the familial elements of the Christian faith, ministry staff tend to be closer-knit than corporate staff. While this creates a strong bond and culture, it can also lead to unique situations and behaviors. Ministry-specific training will address these head-on in a language ministry staff can relate to.
After the training is over, the work is not done. Continue to check in on staff, especially managers, and make sure they are prepared to recognize and handle a variety of situations. Review your behavioral standards regularly (i.e., all staff meetings, retreats, and in one-on-ones) incorporating them with your values and mission. Make a harassment-free culture integral to who you are as a ministry. Protect your people, your organization, and your mission.
Original content by HR Ministry Solutions. This information is provided with the understanding that Payroll Partners is not rendering legal, human resources, or other professional advice or service. Professional advice on specific issues should be sought from a lawyer, HR consultant or other professional.