Reinforcing Professionalism to Advance Harassment Prevention

The Hidden Cost of Overlooking Harassment Prevention Training

Unaddressed behavioral issues?

When organizational leaders prioritize KPIs like productivity, employee retention, and workplace morale, sexual harassment prevention training might not immediately seem like a top driver. After all, many leaders say, “We don’t get complaints often—if ever—and when we do, they’re minor and handled quickly.” Employees often echo this confidence: “I’d never harass anyone; I don’t need training to know what’s right.”

Yet, even in the absence of formal complaints, unchecked behaviors—like casual boundary-pushing or unprofessional conduct—can quietly erode focus, slow processes, and zap productivity. Research backs this up: disrespectful actions, including those tied to sexual harassment, disrupt workflows, spark communication breakdowns, and take an emotional toll that lingers far beyond the moment.

The reality? A workplace that tolerates blurred lines doesn’t just risk an HR headache—it risks measurable losses in efficiency and engagement. Studies show a single disrespectful incident can cost 10-30 minutes of recovery time per person involved¹, while chronic issues can slash overall productivity by 6-9% annually.²

Boundaries Protect the Culture and the Bottom Line

That’s why proactive training isn’t just about compliance—it’s about safeguarding the KPIs that matter. Atana’s Once & For All program drives this home, showing how seemingly small actions, like suggestive banter or unchecked humor, can snowball into a hostile environment. It empowers every employee to own their role in maintaining professional boundaries, protecting both the culture and the bottom line. And it reminds managers of their responsibility for reinforcing those boundaries. 

A workplace that tolerates blurred lines doesn’t just risk an HR headache—it risks measurable losses in efficiency and engagement.

Still, Atana trend data reveals opportunities to further increase behavioral intent in this area:

After training with Once & For All, 87% of learners agree maintaining boundaries is the right thing to do but 

• only 70% think it is easy to fit in if you're maintaining boundaries 
• only 65% agree they feel an expectation to maintain professional boundaries

Training and Insights That Drive Lasting Behavioral Change

Atana created the Let’s Get Honest follow-up course to build on the foundational Once & For All sexual harassment training and reinforce the importance of professional conduct. 

A range of workplace scenarios provide reminders about different types of sexual harassment with a focus on helpful strategies for maintaining professional boundaries at work. This added instruction reaffirms the organizational expectation that employees are expected to maintain boundaries while showing learners that it is possible to keep things professional and still fit in.

Learners are assessed on the following, first in Once and For All and then again in Let’s Get Honest, so that organizations can see how behavioral intent toward harassment prevention behaviors within the organization changes over time.

Professional Conduct 

• Assessing employees’ commitment to maintain professional boundaries  

Psychological Safety

• Measuring whether learners feel safe and supported to share concerns about harassment

Knowledge-Based Outcomes 

Understanding the importance of building respect in the workplace by: 

• Speaking up when witnessing inappropriate conduct 
• Filtering one’s own conduct 

Skill-Based Competencies 

Developing the ability to: 

• Filter one’s behavior for work 
• Speak up when co-workers forget to filter their behaviors for the workplace 
• Speak up about offensive conduct or harassment they witness or experience

Insights into employee attitudes about maintaining professional boundaries and harassment reporting are strategically valuable. Understanding these perspectives helps create a workplace where employees filter their own actions and feel safe and empowered to call out inappropriate behavior when they see it.