Open Forum

I manage a small museum that has 4 paid staff and around 15-20 volunteer docents. Since I started three years ago we haven't offered (read: been organized enough to offer) any sort of sexual harassment training, and with the recent issues in the news regarding sexual harassment, the director and myself think it's time to invest in the continued safety of our visitors and fellow staff.

We haven't had any reported incidents yet, but we do struggle with generational differences, such as older docents making light of recent news regarding sexual harassment in front of younger docents. Our docents are given background checks by the city's volunteer department, but they aren't given any further formal training. Our docent handbook touches upon the issue, but doesn't delve into it. We also don't have an official HR dept; myself, the director, and the board are the highest level staff.

How does your museum conduct these trainings? Do you research, construct, and lead the trainings in-house? Or do you hire an independent company to conduct the training for you?

The majority of our docents are retired and struggle with online learning, so I'm hoping to hold an in-person training if possible. I'm just not sure I'm qualified to successfully lead this training myself. Any suggestions or references you have for me would be much appreciated!

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Jessica Woods
Museum Manager
Plano, TX
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Good idea to do this training! 
I have taken both mandatory  on-line training and facilitated workshop training for the University where I teach.  Frankly, I find it something that is not as effective as having a knowledgeable and skilled facilitator in the room with you.  One can blow through the assignment and not really retain much.  Talking with real people with their questions and concerns as part of the content is very important. 
I would recommend looking for an outside facilitator so that all staff, volunteers and board members (yes- especially board members or other governing body members) are on the same footing in the training. You might check the local school district and ask who does their training. Because they work with adults and children, this could be a good fit for addressing different situations. I have also been to museum conference workshops where a lawyer presented some of the legal issues regarding the responsibility of the organization to provide safe and appropriate work conditions for staff/volunteers and the people who visit and use the facility. The person was legal counsel for a statewide museum complex and assisted in developing prevention, reporting and HR policies and procedures.  They also reviewed what the laws are regarding sexual harassment and assault.

This also might be the right time to update your organization's sexual harassment policies and procedures. The training would be part of the implementation of the plan. The review and approval of the plan should be a role for the governing board/governing authority to play. The board/governing authority members should also be fully aware of the legal responsibilities they hold in these matters.

With all that is happening in our culture right now, there should be a lot of good material and facilitators available. (Although, I suspect that getting on their schedule might be challenging.)

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Kathryn Boardman
Principal, Cherry Valley Group
Adjunct Faculty, Cooperstown Graduate Program - SUNY at Oneonta
Cooperstown NY
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I agree that the training would be a good idea in this climate, an in-person might be more effective for an initial training and to capture new staff as they come on an online training could be helpful.

This is the route we are looking to take so we are currently in a search for a workshop/trainer/program to offer out employees as well.  I welcome any others suggested workshops/trainers/programs that others have used in the past with a preference on cultural organizations.


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Natalie Rice-Harris
Institute of Contemporary Art
Boston MA
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Original Message:
Sent: 12-06-2017 07:43 AM
From: Kathryn Boardman
Subject: Sexual Harassment Training for Staff & Volunteer Docents

Good idea to do this training!
I have taken both mandatory  on-line training and facilitated workshop training for the University where I teach.  Frankly, I find it something that is not as effective as having a knowledgeable and skilled facilitator in the room with you.  One can blow through the assignment and not really retain much.  Talking with real people with their questions and concerns as part of the content is very important.
I would recommend looking for an outside facilitator so that all staff, volunteers and board members (yes- especially board members or other governing body members) are on the same footing in the training. You might check the local school district and ask who does their training. Because they work with adults and children, this could be a good fit for addressing different situations. I have also been to museum conference workshops where a lawyer presented some of the legal issues regarding the responsibility of the organization to provide safe and appropriate work conditions for staff/volunteers and the people who visit and use the facility. The person was legal counsel for a statewide museum complex and assisted in developing prevention, reporting and HR policies and procedures.  They also reviewed what the laws are regarding sexual harassment and assault.

This also might be the right time to update your organization's sexual harassment policies and procedures. The training would be part of the implementation of the plan. The review and approval of the plan should be a role for the governing board/governing authority to play. The board/governing authority members should also be fully aware of the legal responsibilities they hold in these matters.

With all that is happening in our culture right now, there should be a lot of good material and facilitators available. (Although, I suspect that getting on their schedule might be challenging.)

------------------------------
Kathryn Boardman
Principal, Cherry Valley Group
Adjunct Faculty, Cooperstown Graduate Program - SUNY at Oneonta
Cooperstown NY
------------------------------

------Original Message------

Good idea to do this training! 
I have taken both mandatory  on-line training and facilitated workshop training for the University where I teach.  Frankly, I find it something that is not as effective as having a knowledgeable and skilled facilitator in the room with you.  One can blow through the assignment and not really retain much.  Talking with real people with their questions and concerns as part of the content is very important. 
I would recommend looking for an outside facilitator so that all staff, volunteers and board members (yes- especially board members or other governing body members) are on the same footing in the training. You might check the local school district and ask who does their training. Because they work with adults and children, this could be a good fit for addressing different situations. I have also been to museum conference workshops where a lawyer presented some of the legal issues regarding the responsibility of the organization to provide safe and appropriate work conditions for staff/volunteers and the people who visit and use the facility. The person was legal counsel for a statewide museum complex and assisted in developing prevention, reporting and HR policies and procedures.  They also reviewed what the laws are regarding sexual harassment and assault.

This also might be the right time to update your organization's sexual harassment policies and procedures. The training would be part of the implementation of the plan. The review and approval of the plan should be a role for the governing board/governing authority to play. The board/governing authority members should also be fully aware of the legal responsibilities they hold in these matters.

With all that is happening in our culture right now, there should be a lot of good material and facilitators available. (Although, I suspect that getting on their schedule might be challenging.)

------------------------------
Kathryn Boardman
Principal, Cherry Valley Group
Adjunct Faculty, Cooperstown Graduate Program - SUNY at Oneonta
Cooperstown NY
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------Original Message------

Hi, Jessica.
Just like the two earlier commenters, I support harassment training. In researching Women in the Museum: Lessons from the Workplace, Anne Ackerson and I were stunned at the number of museums who don't have HR policies, and, more important, statements defining sexual harassment. It's harder to suggest that behavior is wrong unless you've defined wrong from the beginning. Too often heritage organizations vet employees and volunteers to protect the public and particularly children from harassment, but forget to offer staff training to protect them from similar situations, whether it's the public harassing volunteers or important donors harassing staff. If your organization doesn't have the resources to train, you may want to check with your local chamber of commerce to see who in your business community is doing this kind of training. 
Joan Baldwin

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Joan Baldwin
Curator-Special Collections - The Hotchkiss School
Lakeville CT
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