Harassment can lead to decreased productivity, increased turnover, possible legal costs, and potentially irreparable harm to a company’s reputation. Leap Solutions’ HR specialists can help your company achieve compliance by providing harassment prevention training for all of your associates. We are dedicated to keeping you informed and empowered with relevant, up-to-the-minute information and resources, working with you to develop practical solutions and smart planning decisions for your organization.

In this issue of our newsletter:

• Harassment Prevention Training
• Take note — anyone not yet trained, or trained in 2019, needs to have harassment prevention training in 2021!
• All employers must:

Harassment Prevention Training 

In 2005, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed AB 1825, which required that employers with 50 or more employees provide supervisory employees with a mandatory two hours sexual harassment prevention training within six months of hire or promotion, and once every two years thereafter.

In 2018, California extended harassment prevention training under SB 1343, requiring employers with five or more employees to provide two hours of interactive sexual harassment prevention training for all supervisors, and one hour to all non-supervisory employees. Training must be provided for new hires and within six months for those promoted to supervisory roles. The interactive training is required every two years and must include the prevention of abusive conduct.

Still, fifteen years after 2005’s AB 1825, workplace harassment continues to affect employees’ long-term emotional, physical, and economic wellbeing. Harassment can lead to decreased productivity, increased turnover, possible legal costs, and potentially irreparable harm to a company’s reputation.

Many California employers conducted training in 2019 to achieve compliance by the January 1, 2020 deadline, but when Governor Newsom extended the deadline to January 1, 2021, some employers delayed training because of the pandemic, even though the January 2021 deadline did not change.

Take note — anyone not yet trained, or trained in 2019, needs to have harassment prevention training in 2021! 

With the advent of required training, there appeared to be fewer quid pro quo harassment claims, and increased hostile work environment complaints or complaints of people ‘just not getting along.’ Was the training so effective that managers no longer offered some kind of benefit in exchange for sexual favors? Not likely. Even with 2017’s Me Too Movement and the heightened awareness it generated, harassment remains, the investigation of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo being the current example.

Is checking the ‘completed’ harassment training box ever enough? Nope.

Are your employees afraid to report harassment? Is your company culture respectful, inclusive, and safe? Has training offered your employees the ability to ask questions that are specific to your industry or to the challenges they face in your work environment? All employees benefit when those questions are examined during in-person training. Engaging, effective interactive training provides employees with great tools to competently and professionally handle harassment matters and boosts employee confidence that they’re in an inclusive, respectful, safe, and responsive workplace.

All employers must:

• distribute a pamphlet on sexual harassment to all employees;
• display the required California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) poster, which includes information on the illegality of sexual harassment and discrimination;
• display the required Transgender Rights in the Workplace poster.

Employers with 15 or more employees must also post the Federal Equal Employment Opportunity poster.

Leap Solutions offers English and Spanish training sessions for supervisory and non-supervisory employees. Call us to learn about our custom and group harassment and abusive prevention training.

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Leap Solutions is a diverse group of highly skilled management, organizational development, and human resources, and executive search and recruitment professionals who have spent decades doing what we feel passionate about helping you feel passionate about what you do. Our HR specialists can help you get a handle on the ever-changing COVID-19 guidelines, programs, and legislation that may impact you and your employees. We are available to work with you to develop practical solutions and smart planning decisions for your organization’s immediate, near, and long-term needs.

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