Does messenger matter? Trainer differences in sexual harassment training for young workers

Abstract Background In 2016, the EEOC called for the need to spread awareness to young workers about sexual harassment. Previous research has been conducted on this issue by implementing a training specifically designed for younger workers (Stewart & Davison, 2021). The proposed study is an extension of this project. Previous research has examined messenger gender in sexual harassment training or legal policy awareness and suggests that female-led messening may incite stereotyped responses, particularly when coupled with a stereotype-incongruent occupation (Tinkler et al., 2015; Rawski et al., 2024), while diversity training led by white males (non-diverse population) is rated less favorably (Holladay & Quiñones, 2008). This study suggests potential differences in attitudes as well as knowledge gain based on trainer differences (gender and age) as opposed to frequently studied trainee gender. Methods Participants will be approximately 240 students from upper-level undergraduate Management courses at Appalachian State University. The sexual harassment training will be delivered as a part of a course component on one of the regular class meetings. After completing the informed consent form, participants will be provided with a paper pre-training assessment to complete. Upon survey completion, the training workshop will begin. During the training workshop, participants will learn about sexual harassment in the workplace, its prevalence among young workers, and what to do to when encountering such situations. Participants will also watch videos of sexual harassment scenarios for further discussion. The training will be facilitated by either a female or male trainer, with approximately 50% of the participants being in each group. At the end of the training session, participants will complete a paper copy of the post-training assessment survey. Attitudes about sexual harassment, declarative knowledge, procedural knowledge, and attitudes about the trainer will be assessed. Expected Results & Implications Based on previous studies, the researcher expects that males may rate the male-led training more favorably overall and have a greater knowledge gain. Additionally, females may rate the female-led training more favorably but have a similar knowledge gain overall. Lastly, all students may rate the student-led training higher than the instructor-led training as they perceive it to be more relevant to their demographic. Examining the potential effects of trainer differences would allow for a deeper understanding of sexual harassment training effectiveness. Organizations that create sexual harassment trainings can use these results to advise their creation, providing generalizable insight into AI-generated trainings which are becoming increasingly popular.