California law (AB 1825) requires many California employers to provide two hours of sexual harassment prevention training to “supervisors.”  Training has to be conducted at least once every two years and within six months of hire or promotion into a supervisory position (with a few exceptions). 

Whether or not AB 1825 applies to you, every company's risk management program can benefit from this course.  The content is written based on California's training regulations.  Through the use of case scenarios, hypotheticals and large and small group discussion, it covers:

• definitions of unlawful sexual harassment under federal and state law
• state/federal statutory provisions and case law principles concerning the prohibition against and prevention of unlawful sexual harassment, discrimination and retaliation
• the types of conduct that constitute sexual harassment
• remedies available for sexual harassment
• strategies to detect and prevent sexual harassment
• practical examples/hypotheticals illustrating sexual harassment, discrimination and retaliation
• resources for reporting sexual harassment and the (limited) confidentiality of the complaint and investigation process
• the employer's obligation to investigate sexual harassment allegations
• what a supervisor should do if he/she is accused of  harassment
• essential elements of a harassment policy and how to use it
• distribution of your company's harassment policy
  

Also covered are why some employees may hesitate to report inappropriate conduct, how to model professional behavior for others, some do's and don'ts for managers when taking a harassment complaint, unlawful retaliation and prevention principles, and best practices.  Importantly, your EEO and anti-harassment policies are incorporated into the materials so you can be sure your managers and supervisors are familiar with the content and aware of your expectations of them.     

Throughout the course, participants are shown how to use effective communications to identify, stop and prevent unlawful sexual harassment and to set standards of professional behavior for others to follow.

Many companies take advantage of the opportunity to provide this training by customizing it to include broader material about unlawful harassment on any legally protected basis and an introductory module about the major employment discrimination laws.  Giving this sort of context for understanding the relationship between sexual harassment and other forms of harassment and discrimination benefits your company in several ways:

• Managers and supervisors are better able to issue spot before a problem escalates
• You demonstrate your company’s commitment to providing a healthy and productive workplace
• You enhance the effectiveness of your legal defense and exposure to punitive damages awards if there are lawsuits against you based on harassment or discrimination

(BGC also offers Preventing & Eliminating Sexual Harassment in the Workplace and customized versions of Preventing & Eliminating Harassment in the Workplace to address training requirements in Connecticut and Maine, or for all employers.) 

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