Why Is Active Bystander Training Important?

In this blog, we will learn why Active Bystander Training is important for your organisation and staff. Every organisation wants to be known as a good place to work, with a positive workplace culture that retains and grows staff. According to Forbes (2023), two major studies show that a happy engaged worker is key for productivity. However, studies also show that bullying and harassment at work is a widespread problem affecting all industries. A study by Cullinan et al. (2020) found that a total of 1.7 million work days are lost in Ireland each year because of bullying, at a cost to the economy of almost a quarter of a billion euro per annum (RTE News, 2021). Bullying and harassment at work takes a significant toll on a person’s wellbeing and quality of life. So, combatting inappropriate behaviour at work is essential and one way to do this is through active bystander training.

Benefits for your organisation

Training your staff in how to be an active bystander can help your organisation to reduce incidents of inappropriate behaviour, bullying and harassment, and might also come with a range of other positive benefits, such as:

A good reputation for the organisation
Lower rates of staff turnover
Less absenteeism from work
Happier and more engaged employees
Greater team collaboration
Higher productivity

Active bystander training enables staff to identify inappropriate behaviour and then apply a variety of strategies to intervene such as reporting it, interrupting or stopping it in the moment or dealing with it directly in the moment or afterwards. The Being an Active Bystander at Work online course will help your staff feel more empowered about making a positive impact in their workplace and give them the tools they need to speak up or seek support.