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California Employers: You Have 6 Months
Have you hired new staff in the last 6 to 12 months?
Have these new hires completed the mandated California sexual harassment training program?
Did you know you have to cover issues pertaining, sexual harassment prevention, bullying, abusive behavior and sexual orientation?
California now mandates sexual harassment prevention training for employers with five or more employees. Now, these employers must provide at least one hour of sexual harassment prevention training to nonsupervisory employees and two hours of such training to supervisory employees. This six-month deadline is critical as it will be enforced. It’s equally important that these trainings are clear on what does and what does not constitute as sexual harassment. California sexual harassment training is multi-faceted and the law is very specific on what must be covered in these trainings within the six-month deadline. It’s the law and it affects every business sector in California.
Statistics on Workers being Sexually Harassed
Recent statistics show that more than half of all workers (54%) have experienced some form of sexual harassment in the workplace. Because of its prevalence and damaging affects to an organization’s productivity, morale, and culture, employers must try and actively prevent and eliminate sexual harassment in their organization. However, it’s also important that your employees not be so afraid of being accused of sexual harassment that they no longer feel comfortable interacting with their coworkers. A friendly, comfortable work environment leads to productivity and overall job satisfaction. Therefore, knowing what actions constitute as acceptable behavior, and which do not, is the essential take-away from any successful sexual harassment training workshop.
Why Book In-Person Sexual Harassment Training Sessions
With Bridge Safety Consultants, your office’s sexual harassment training program will be interactive and informative. We create an environment in which your employees will be comfortable asking questions to which they will receive clear, legally-accurate responses and explanations. In fact, California law is very clear about which topics must be covered in order for the training requirement to be fulfilled. The harassment prevention training must include information and practical guidance about federal and state sexual harassment laws, including harassment prevention and correction and remedies that are available to victims. The training must also include a component on the prevention of “abusive conduct,” as well as a component on harassment based on gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation.
The Cost of Not Doing The Right Training Program
There are clear financial and employee welfare consequences for allowing sexual harassment to occur in the workplace. According to data compiled by Equal Rights Advocates, a women’s law center in the U.S., 90 to 95% of sexually harassed women suffer from some debilitating stress reaction, including anxiety, depression, headaches, sleep disorders, weight loss or gain, nausea, lowered self-esteem and sexual dysfunction. In addition, victims of sexual harassment lose $4.4 million dollars in wages and 973,000 hours in unpaid leave each year in the United States. Because of all this, sexual harassment often has a cumulative, demoralizing effect on the entire company. Even those not directly involved in a sexual harassment accusation may find their work disrupted and thereby general company productivity on the whole. This is yet another reason to hold the training as quickly as possible – for company morale and productivity.
It’s important to send the right message to your employees, to give them access to the right information, and take steps to protect your business now. The experts at Bridge Safety Consultants offer a comprehensive sexual harassment training that accomplishes all three goals. Many companies who have worked with us tell us “it’s the best training we’ve ever had.” Take the first step in preventing and eliminating sexual harassment in your workplace by working with Bridge Safety Consultants to educate all members of your workforce on sexual harassment and acceptable behaviors. Make an appointment now to ensure that you abide by the law requiring sexual harassment training within the first six months. This is an often-complicated, confusing topic for those unfamiliar with the law’s intricacies. Don’t wait until the last minute to hire the dedicated team at Bridge Safety Consultants to guide your workforce through the training.
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