Bystander Intervention
Learning about bystander Intervention is one of the most effective ways to empower employees to take action when they witness harmful workplace behaviors to positively influence outcomes. Diversity Builder’s bystander program is designed to raise awareness regarding harmful microaggressions, harassment and discriminatory behavior, biased communication, and inappropriate humor in the workplace. The program will introduce employees to actionable strategies to address such occurrences. While employees may have good intentions with these comments or behaviors, negative impacts often result, particularly affecting marginalized groups and/or protected classes. The detrimental effects may include a reduced sense of belonging, feeling unwelcomed, harassed, or bullied. When employees are empowered to intervene as a behavior or discussion takes place that does not align with the organization’s mission, core values, and policies, desirable culture change happens.
Bystander training to stop workplace harassment
The negative impacts of harassment and discrimination are vast and include mental health outcomes, stress, reduced psychological safety, and a decreased sense of belonging, among others, One goal of bystander training is to stop harassment and microaggressions in the workplace. Through experience, Diversity Builder has learned that the best way to use interventions to effect the best outcomes is to address behaviors early in the process and introduce bystander intervention training during hiring and onboarding. Addressing microaggressions through interventions can be effectively performed and not lead to toxic workplace environments. Organizations that set the standard to disrupt disrespectful behaviors as they arise, are better set to achieve a culture of respect, affirmation of identity, equity and inclusion.
Is unconscious bias training effective?
Recent research indicates that unconscious bias training is less impactful than learning about how to intervene.
Over the past several years, articles have been written about diversity and bias training being ineffective in creating lasting change and even exacerbating issues as work.
The Harvard Business Review’s article on the subject discussed the failure of diversity and unconscious bias training without a viable action plan. Other research indicates that peer accountability initiatives and bystander intervention training are effective in changing culture. Similar findings resulted from University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School study.
Interventions are the actionable ways to change workplace culture and create a space of psychological and emotional safety.
Diversity Builder offers bystander intervention training onsite and through live webinars. The training is designed to build a foundational knowledge of when to intervene, how to intervene for best results, and steps to take using a systemic approach to addressing microaggressions and other harmful behaviors.
According to the EEOC, bystander intervention training the missing piece to effective workplace harassment prevention training. We believe the same holds true for diversity and unconscious bias classes.
It is becoming increasingly important to engage bystanders to intervene when hurtful communication or behavior occurs in the workplace.
What is bystander intervention training and why is it critical to success in building an inclusive culture following D&I training?
Definition of Bystander in the Workplace
A bystander is someone who witnesses or hears about a harmful behavior or communication at work and is not directly involved in the behavior itself.
What is bystander intervention?
Intervention is recognizing a potentially harmful interaction and responding in a way intended to positively influence the outcome.
Interventions are performed by active bystanders.
What is an active bystander?
An active bystander in the workplace is an employee who observes a microaggression or other harmful behavior and takes action to challenge the behavior and support employees who may have been hurt.
Bystander intervention is an important actionable strategy to address microaggressions, discrimination, harassment, and hostile work environments.
When employees feel empowered to speak up when a behavior or discussion takes place that does not align with the organization’s desired culture, change happens.
With effective tools, communication techniques, micro-affirmations, and the support of leadership (organizational receptivity), bystanders can intervene and stop non-inclusive behavior.
Types of Behavior That Require Intervention
Examples of behaviors where stepping in makes sense include conversations or actions that may be harmful to those who witnessed or saw it.
Workplace Intervention Examples
- Inappropriate jokes
- Microaggressions
- Biased comments
- Harassment
- Organizational forms that are non-inclusive of gender and other identities
- Bullying
Is It Considered Policing?
It is important to note that the goal of empowering employees to intervene does not mean we are suggesting that the employees be in charge of policing every conversation looking for fault and evaluating every comment made. The intervention comes from a place of contributing to the collective good. The way in which the intervener communicates the message is critical to the success of this program.
Intent versus Impact
In many cases the intent of the person who is the sender of the communication is likely very positive. The impact, on the other hand, may have negative implications.
How to Intervene
It is a best practice for each organization to establish standards and protocols for use in different scenarios using thoughtful responses, I-statements, and effective questioning techniques. These standards will be documented and distributed to employees with training included as needed. The document should be incorporated into the onboarding process for new hires.
If no intervention standards exist at present, a plan will be required to successfully integrate this program into the current work environment. Such a plan should take a systemic approach.
Is bystander intervention in the workplace effective?
Research has shown that in order for bystander intervention to be effective in reducing and eliminating harassment and microaggressions, leadership must welcome the practice and be responsive to the intervention process. When leadership assigns a dedicated staff member to coordinate the program and handle dispute resolution.
Examples of components within a systemic plan to integrate bystander intervention into an organization include:
- Offer onsite and online training opportunities
- Share success stories across the team and organization
- Assign organizational influencers to identify areas of improvement
- Inspire and empower employees to intervene with motives in social justice
- Create a pilot program
- Establish procedures for confidential reporting
- Develop viable options for employee interventions
What Silence Means
One of the first diversity trainers in our organization taught her classes that “Silence is agreement.” Many of us want to do the right thing and simply don’t know what to say in that moment when an uncomfortable comment is made. This training equips employees to speak up. Silence and lack of action from the bystander perpetuates the cycle and allows the behavior to continue and even gain momentum in the workplace.
Preventing harassment and mitigating bias in the workplace is a collective responsibility.
In the workplace, the most effective leaders reject cultures of silence and replace them with cultures of transparency and empowerment. Cultures are created that match up with the company’s mission, values and policies. In this way, proper behavior can become a fundamental company value practiced by all.
References
“Bystanders: ‘See Something, Say Something’ Is Not Enough.” Rowe, Mary P. Alternatives to the High Cost of Litigation Vol. 39, No. 10 (November 2021): 153-165.
“Micro-affirmations & Micro-inequities”. Rowe, Mary. Journal of the International Ombudsman Association 1, No. 1 (March 2008).
“From Empathy to Apathy: The Bystander Effect Revisited.” Ruud Hortensius, Beatrice de Gelder (April 2018)
“Crowded minds: The implicit bystander effect.” Garcia, S. M., Weaver, K., Moskowitz, G. B., Darley, J. M. (2002). Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 83, 843–853.
“To Act or Not to Act, That Is the Question? Barriers and Facilitators of Bystander Intervention.” Victoria Banyard, Lydia Garnhart, Sidney Bennett (October 2013)