Inappropriate comments about women. Or women who are not allowed to finish speaking in meetings or who are demoted to writing the minutes. Such incidents in the federal intelligence service have now prompted an internal working group to order compulsory anti-sexism courses. A multi-level learning concept and a clear stance on the part of the management levels could often help, says the lawyer and mediator Corina Alchenberger.
SRF News: What can such anti-sexism workshops achieve?
Corina Alchenberger: On the one hand, hopefully an acquisition of knowledge, on the other hand, a sensitization of the employees. With the aim of bringing about a change in attitude and behavior. In each case, I try to recognize and understand the structural behavior in a specific case in order to change it in the medium or long term.
What goes on in such a workshop?
That depends on whether it is aimed at non-managerial employees or whether it is training for managers. The key issue for employees is raising awareness of what constitutes harassment. What is correct, what is incorrect? What’s funny, what’s annoying? The processes in the company must also be clear. Everyone must know where they can defend themselves and where they are safe and taken seriously. Employees should be able to get a uniform picture of the culture and processes related to sexism in the company.
How do you address leaders on the issue of sexism?
A sensitization workshop for employees alone is actually useless, because sexism is always a structural problem. Very often one is not even aware of this derogatory attitude towards the opposite sex. Accordingly, the fight against sexism is the task of employers and not simply a problem of conflicting parties. That’s why, in my view, the organization as such, with its processes and its culture, is decisive.
One possibility is to train managers in their role as responsible and responsible persons. We look with them at how discriminatory behavior is recognized and what should be done with observations and reports.
What does a company have to do to prevent sexism from becoming part of the culture?
On the one hand, there is the legal level. Here, labor law obliges a company to take preventive measures so that harassing behavior does not occur at all. If it does happen, processes and responsibilities must be defined. A company must meet the statutory duty of care.
On the other hand, it is about finding out with people what culture they want, how successful cooperation is possible and how power can be addressed. It is also about belonging to a team with closeness and distance. Every team is inevitably confronted with these questions. This also includes the question of how misconduct is addressed.
How promising are such courses?
Such courses should be part of a multi-level learning concept. They should take place regularly – with a broad mix of learning methods. This also requires structural adjustments and a clear attitude at every management level. Then I see opportunities.
Nina Gygax conducted the interview.