Sexual Harassment: Actions Needed to Improve Prevention Training for Federal Civilian Employees
Fast Facts
Sexual harassment remains an issue in federal agencies. In a 2021 survey of federal employees, 12% reported that they had experienced sexual harassment in the prior 2 years.
All the agencies we reviewed require their federal employees to complete some sexual harassment prevention training. However, they could take steps to make their training more effective—such as clearly describing how to report misconduct in their training materials.
Additionally, DOD doesn't routinely review if its components are meeting sexual harassment prevention training requirements.
We made 14 recommendations to DOD and other agencies to address these issues.
Highlights
What GAO Found
Selected Department of Defense (DOD) components and other federal agencies vary in the extent to which they have incorporated management practices to enhance the effectiveness of the sexual harassment prevention training they require their federal civilian employees to complete. All seven DOD components and six other federal agencies in this review require their employees to complete some sexual harassment prevention training. However, none of them have fully incorporated GAO and U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission management practices to enhance the effectiveness of their training content and the implementation of such training (see figure). They also do not know if their training needs improvements because they have not developed and implemented plans to evaluate its effectiveness. Without training evaluation plans to identify needed improvements, they may be missing opportunities to foster a climate free from harassment.
Number of Management Practices Selected DOD Components and Federal Agencies Incorporated to Enhance Sexual Harassment Prevention Training Implementation as of October 2023
DOD conducts limited oversight of required sexual harassment prevention training for federal civilian employees. For example, DOD's Office for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion requested that components self-assess their compliance with anti-harassment training programs. However, it does not routinely review civilian sexual harassment prevention training, as required by DOD policy, or have plans to do so. Developing and implementing a plan to oversee sexual harassment prevention training could help DOD to better ensure that it is consistent with DOD's requirements.
Why GAO Did This Study
Safety from sexual harassment and other harmful behaviors such as sexual assault helps ensure the effectiveness, retention, and morale of the federal workforce, according to federal government research. DOD and other federal agencies have taken steps to address such behaviors, but data show that sexual harassment persists and is underreported.
The James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 includes a provision for GAO to review sexual harassment prevention training at DOD and other federal agencies. This report examines (1) the extent to which selected DOD components and federal agencies have incorporated management practices to enhance the effectiveness of their required sexual harassment prevention training for federal civilian employees, and (2) the extent to which DOD conducted oversight of such training. GAO selected seven DOD components and six federal agencies and assessed their training, reviewed guidance, and interviewed relevant officials.
Recommendations
GAO is making 14 recommendations, including that selected DOD components and federal agencies develop and implement training evaluation plans and DOD develop and implement a plan to conduct oversight of training. DOD and other federal agencies generally concurred with the recommendations and noted actions that they planned to take.
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Department of the Interior | The Secretary of the Interior should develop and implement a plan to evaluate the department's required sexual harassment prevention training to identify needed improvements. The evaluation plan should include an assessment of training content and implementation to determine whether revisions are needed to better align with management practices to enhance the effectiveness of sexual harassment prevention training. (Recommendation 1) |
The Department of the Interior concurred with this recommendation. We have not yet received information on their efforts to address the recommendation and we will update its status once information is received.
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| Department of State | The Secretary of State should implement the department's plan to evaluate its required sexual harassment prevention training to identify needed improvements. The evaluation should also include an assessment of training content and implementation to determine whether revisions are needed to better align with management practices to enhance the effectiveness of sexual harassment prevention training. (Recommendation 2) |
The State Department concurred with this recommendation. We have not yet received information on their efforts to address the recommendation and we will update its status once information is received.
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| Environmental Protection Agency | The Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency should develop and implement a plan to evaluate the agency's required sexual harassment prevention training to identify needed improvements. The evaluation plan should include an assessment of training content and implementation to determine whether revisions are needed to better align with management practices to enhance the effectiveness of sexual harassment prevention training. (Recommendation 3) |
The Environmental Protection Agency concurred with this recommendation. We have not yet received information on their efforts to address the recommendation and we will update its status once information is received.
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| Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation | The Chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation should develop and implement a plan to evaluate the agency's required sexual harassment prevention training to identify needed improvements. The evaluation plan should include an assessment of training content and implementation to determine whether revisions are needed to better align with management practices to enhance the effectiveness of sexual harassment prevention training. (Recommendation 4) |
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation concurred with this recommendation. We have not yet received information on their efforts to address the recommendation and we will update its status once information is received.
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| General Services Administration | The Administrator of the General Services Administration should develop and implement a plan to evaluate the agency's required sexual harassment prevention training to identify needed improvements. The evaluation plan should include an assessment of training content and implementation to determine whether revisions are needed to better align with management practices to enhance the effectiveness of sexual harassment prevention training. (Recommendation 5) |
The General Services Administration concurred with this recommendation. We have not yet received information on their efforts to address the recommendation and we will update its status once information is received.
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| United States Securities and Exchange Commission | The Chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission should develop and implement a plan to evaluate the agency's required sexual harassment prevention training to identify needed improvements. The evaluation plan should include an assessment of training content and implementation to determine whether revisions are needed to better align with management practices to enhance the effectiveness of sexual harassment prevention training. (Recommendation 6) |
The Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) concurred with our recommendation. In September 2024, the SEC provided documentation that it had evaluated its agency's sexual harassment prevention training and that it was taking steps to incorporate leading practices related to the content and implementation of such training. To identify needed improvements, the SEC created a rubric using the leading practices and required elements for sexual harassment training and implementation identified in our report. Next, it utilized that rubric to incorporate our leading practices and required elements for sexual harassment training and implementation into the development of mandatory, comprehensive harassment prevention and response training. As a result of these steps, the SEC has implemented our recommendation.
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| Department of the Army | The Secretary of the Army should develop and implement a plan to evaluate the department's required sexual harassment prevention training for federal civilian employees to identify needed improvements. The evaluation plan should include an assessment of training implementation to determine whether revisions are needed to better align with management practices to enhance the effectiveness of sexual harassment prevention training. (Recommendation 7) |
DOD concurred with this recommendation. We have not yet received information on DOD's efforts to address the recommendation and we will update its status once information is received.
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| Department of the Navy | The Secretary of the Navy should develop and implement a plan to evaluate the department's required sexual harassment prevention training for federal civilian employees to identify needed improvements. The evaluation plan should include an assessment of training implementation to determine whether revisions are needed to better align with management practices to enhance the effectiveness of sexual harassment prevention training. (Recommendation 8) |
DOD concurred with this recommendation. We have not yet received information on DOD's efforts to address the recommendation and we will update its status once information is received.
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| Department of the Air Force | The Secretary of the Air Force should develop and implement a plan to evaluate the department's required sexual harassment prevention training for federal civilian employees to identify needed improvements. The evaluation plan should include an assessment of training implementation to determine whether revisions are needed to better align with management practices to enhance the effectiveness of sexual harassment prevention training. (Recommendation 9) |
DOD concurred with this recommendation. We have not yet received information on DOD's efforts to address the recommendation and we will update its status once information is received.
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| Department of Defense | The Secretary of Defense should ensure that the Director of the Defense Commissary Agency develops and implements a plan to evaluate the agency's required sexual harassment prevention training for federal civilian employees to identify needed improvements. The evaluation plan should include an assessment of training implementation to determine whether revisions are needed to better align with management practices to enhance the effectiveness of sexual harassment prevention training. (Recommendation 10) |
DOD concurred with this recommendation. We have not yet received information on DOD's efforts to address the recommendation and we will update its status once information is received.
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| Department of Defense | The Secretary of Defense should ensure that the Director of the Defense Contract Audit Agency develops and implements a plan to evaluate the agency's required sexual harassment prevention training for federal civilian employees to identify needed improvements. The evaluation plan should include an assessment of training implementation to determine whether revisions are needed to better align with management practices to enhance the effectiveness of sexual harassment prevention training. (Recommendation 11) |
DOD concurred with this recommendation. We have not yet received information on DOD's efforts to address the recommendation and we will update its status once information is received.
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| Department of Defense | The Secretary of Defense should ensure that the Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency develops and implements a plan to evaluate the agency's required sexual harassment prevention training for federal civilian employees to identify needed improvements. The evaluation plan should include an assessment of training implementation to determine whether revisions are needed to better align with management practices to enhance the effectiveness of sexual harassment prevention training. (Recommendation 12) |
DOD concurred with this recommendation. We have not yet received information on DOD's efforts to address the recommendation and we will update its status once information is received.
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| Department of Defense | The Secretary of Defense should ensure that the Director of the Defense Logistics Agency develops and implements a plan to evaluate the agency's required sexual harassment prevention training for federal civilian employees to identify needed improvements. The evaluation plan should include an assessment of training implementation to determine whether revisions are needed to better align with management practices to enhance the effectiveness of sexual harassment prevention training. (Recommendation 13) |
DOD concurred with this recommendation. We have not yet received information on DOD's efforts to address the recommendation and we will update its status once information is received.
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| Department of Defense | The Secretary of Defense should ensure that the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, in collaboration with the Director of the Office for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, develops and implements a plan for the Office for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion to perform its responsibilities for overseeing DOD component sexual harassment prevention training. The plan should include clear goals, objectives, performance measures, and required resources for gauging its progress, identifying weaknesses, and taking appropriate action. (Recommendation 14) |
DOD partially concurred with this recommendation. We have not yet received information on DOD's efforts to address the recommendation and we will update its status once information is received.
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