HR Tips: Embracing Cost-Effective Sexual Harassment Prevention Training
The headlines associated with the #MeToo movement in 2017 may have faded, but that doesn’t mean that awareness of workplace sexual harassment has faded too. In the year after the movement first hit national and international awareness, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) reported a 12% increase in complaints that included claims of sexual harassment. [i] The movement also spurred states across the nation to pass new legislation to address sexual harassment in both government and private businesses.
California passed 10 pieces of legislation related to the #MeToo movement, including SB 1300, which mandated that employers of at least five employees provide a minimum of two hours of sexual harassment training to supervisors and a minimum of one hour of training to all other employees by January 1, 2020, and to renew that training every two years. [ii] Companies were already required to provide this training to new hires within six months of their start date, covering legally required content, per AB 1825. If your company doesn’t have a plan to meet these ongoing requirements, it’s well past time to put one in place. Bridge Safety Consultants can help you with a cost-effective, comprehensive training program that’s engaging and entertaining.
Effective Training: A Good Investment
Sexual harassment in the workplace is a costly problem for employers in many ways. Harassment has a negative effect on productivity and morale, not just in those experiencing it but also in their coworkers. When harassment problems aren’t effectively addressed, they can lead to costly compliance fines or lawsuits. It’s also worth considering the cost of negative exposure—if your company gets the reputation as someplace where sexual harassment is an ongoing problem (or worse, tolerated), you may fail to attract good candidates for jobs or retain the top employees you have now. In the worst cases, you may encounter fallout with your clients or customers as well.
Sexual harassment training isn’t just about preventing abuse, though—it’s about creating a comfortable work environment for all of your employees. When well-meaning employees who aren’t sure what behavior might be crossing a line fear being accused of sexual harassment if their actions are misinterpreted, they’re uneasy when they interact with their coworkers. This kind of atmosphere isn’t conducive to productive teamwork.
A boring PowerPoint presentation might cover the required legal basics, but this isn’t information you want your employees tuning out. Effective sexual harassment training doesn’t have to cost a fortune—and it’s a worthy investment when you consider what you’ll save by preventing problems in the first place.
Affordable, Flexible Sexual Harassment Training
Bridge Safety Consultants’ On-Demand California Sexual Harassment Training is an easy solution for companies looking for an effective training program on a budget. Sign up for one year, and a low monthly subscription fee gives you unlimited access to our AB 1825-compliant video training program. Our videos, featuring professional actors and comedians, are designed to be engaging and interactive, keeping your employees entertained and focused during their training so they learn and retain more. We offer bilingual training with Spanish-speaking trainers as well, making it simple to ensure your entire workforce is compliant.
The accessible video format makes it easy to onboard employees who might be working remotely and to meet training renewal requirements on a rolling basis. The video can be stopped and started as needed. At the successful completion of training, you get a compliance certificate demonstrating that you’ve met AB 1825 requirements.
The right sexual harassment training sets the tone for your business—at Bridge Safety Consultants, we inform without lecturing, using humor to connect with your employees. Our trainings are designed to do more than just check a legal box; we help you foster a safer environment for all genders and mitigate the potential economic costs of sexual harassment in the workplace. To find out more about our training programs and how we can help you support your employees, contact us here today.
https://www.legalreader.com/workplace-sexual-harassment-law-trends-for-2021/
https://patch.com/california/san-francisco/11-ca-lawmakers-accused-sexual-misconduct-2017
