Bystander Intervention Training
Practical bystander intervention training to help employees recognise inappropriate workplace behaviour, speak up safely and support colleagues.
Practical bystander intervention training to help employees recognise inappropriate workplace behaviour, speak up safely and support colleagues.
Bystander Intervention Training gives employees the confidence and practical tools to respond when they witness bullying, harassment, discrimination, sexual harassment, inappropriate behaviour or other situations that make somebody uncomfortable. Delegates learn that speaking up does not always mean direct confrontation — and explore a range of safe and appropriate ways to act.
Most workplace behaviour does not happen in complete isolation. Other people may see it, hear it or become aware of what has happened afterwards.
Yet recognising that something feels wrong and knowing what to do about it are very different things.
People may hesitate because they are unsure whether behaviour is serious enough to challenge, worry that they have misunderstood the situation, fear making matters worse or feel uncomfortable challenging somebody more senior than themselves.
Bystanders can play an important role in preventing inappropriate behaviour from becoming normalised. When employees know how to recognise problematic behaviour and understand the different ways they can respond, they are better equipped to support colleagues and contribute to a respectful workplace culture.
Realistic scenarios allow delegates to explore different responses without assuming that there is only one correct way to intervene.
A colleague repeatedly makes jokes about another employee's accent. The person laughs along, but appears increasingly uncomfortable.
We explore:
During a busy shift, a supervisor speaks aggressively to an employee in front of the team. Several colleagues feel uneasy, but nobody responds.
We explore:
A discriminatory comment is made during a team meeting. Everyone notices, but each person assumes somebody else will say something.
We explore:
Remaining silent does not necessarily mean somebody agrees with inappropriate behaviour.
People can hesitate for many reasons. They may be unsure whether they have interpreted the situation correctly, worry about embarrassing the person affected, fear repercussions or simply assume that somebody else will intervene.
The Bystander Effect helps delegates understand why the presence of other people can sometimes make intervention less likely rather than more likely. When responsibility appears to be shared across a group, each individual may feel less personally responsible for taking action.
The course gives delegates space to reflect on their own likely responses and consider what might make it easier — or harder — for them to act.
One of the most important messages in this course is that there are different ways to respond.
Directly challenging behaviour may sometimes be appropriate, but it is not the only option and it will not always be the safest or most effective one.
Employees should not be encouraged to place themselves or somebody else at risk. Effective bystander intervention is about recognising what is happening, considering the circumstances and choosing an appropriate response.
Delegates explore practical strategies that can be adapted to different situations.
Address the behaviour directly where it is appropriate and safe to do so.
This might involve questioning a comment, naming the behaviour or making clear that something is not appropriate.
Interrupt or redirect the situation without directly challenging the behaviour.
Changing the subject, creating a reason to leave or drawing somebody into another conversation can sometimes interrupt what is happening.
Ask somebody else who is better placed to respond.
This might be a manager, HR, a colleague, security or another appropriate person depending on the situation.
Check in with the person affected after the incident.
Listening, acknowledging what happened and helping somebody consider what support they may want can make an important difference.
People cannot make informed choices about intervention if they do not recognise problematic behaviour in the first place.
The course therefore explores a range of workplace situations, which may include:
The emphasis is not on turning employees into investigators. It is about helping them recognise when something may warrant a response and understand the options available to them.
Not every bystander has the same power to intervene.
Challenging a peer may feel very different from challenging a senior manager, customer, client or somebody behaving aggressively. Personal circumstances, workplace hierarchy and the nature of the behaviour can all influence what feels safe.
For that reason, we avoid presenting direct confrontation as the measure of whether somebody has been a “good” bystander.
Delegates learn to assess the situation, consider their own safety and that of others, and choose an intervention that is proportionate and realistic.
Sometimes the most useful intervention happens after an incident.
A colleague can acknowledge what they observed, check whether the person is OK, listen without making assumptions and help them identify sources of support or appropriate reporting routes if they want them.
It is also important not to take control away from the person affected. Supporting somebody does not necessarily mean deciding for them what should happen next.
The course explores how colleagues can offer meaningful support while recognising the limits of their own role and any organisational responsibilities that may apply.
Some of the situations bystanders encounter may involve subtle comments, assumptions or behaviours rather than obvious discrimination or harassment.
If understanding and addressing these everyday behaviours is a particular priority for your organisation, see our Microaggressions Training.
By the end of the course, delegates should be better able to:
Bystander Intervention Training can be delivered to employees at all levels and is particularly useful for organisations that want to strengthen confidence around speaking up and challenging inappropriate behaviour.
The course can be tailored for:
The right course depends on the particular issue your organisation wants to address.
Choose this course when humour, joking, teasing and understanding when workplace banter crosses a boundary are the main concerns.
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Choose this course when employees or managers need broader practical skills for addressing inappropriate, unacceptable or difficult behaviour.
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Choose this course when preventing sexual harassment, understanding workplace boundaries and strengthening organisational responsibilities are the priority.
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All our courses are tailored to ensure the training reflects your organisation's goals and priorities.
The course can be delivered face-to-face or online via Zoom or Teams.
To support participation, discussion and interaction, we recommend the following group sizes per session:
Need to train a larger workforce? No problem. We regularly work with organisations that need to train larger numbers of employees. Where appropriate, training can be delivered across multiple sessions to ensure everyone receives the same high-quality, interactive learning experience. We can develop a delivery programme to suit your workforce size, locations and timescales.
Please note: the half-day rate is not always available for face-to-face sessions.
Over 25 years' experience delivering equality, diversity and inclusion training, consultancy and professional development.
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