Why Your Company Needs Sexual Harassment Training

Sexual Harassment is a violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which applies to workplaces—private or public, as well as non-profits—that employ over 15 people.

Equal Employment

Opportunity

Commission

Circumstances involving sexual harassment:

• When a colleague or boss (of same or opposite sex) makes verbal and physical sexual advances, jokes, comments about your physical appearance, and “indecent proposals” to you and that affects your employment and level of confidence at work

• You have witnessed a form of sexual harassment done to a colleague or done by a colleague to a non-colleague and are extremely disturbed and affected by it.

University of California Policy on Sexual Harassment

What makes it sexual harassment?

• It’s unlawful;• It’s unwelcome;• It’s offensive

How to nip sexual harassment in the bud?

• Victim should tell harasser that act is offensive and to stop it

• Victim should register a complaint following the employer’s complaint system

How does the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission help?• The EEOC investigates sexual harassment based

on the following factors:• circumstances or context when the harassment was

made• nature of sexual advances made

*Note that the allegations vary depending on the facts of each case.

Equal Employment

Opportunity Commission

What should employers do to prevent sexual harassment?

• According to the EEOC, prevention is a company’s best tool to eradicate sexual harassment at work. What form of prevention? Sexual harassment training.

• Effectively communicating what actions should be avoided and cannot be tolerated is the obligation of every employer of American workplaces. Employers should make it a point to regularly train employees on sexual harassment and to implement an easy and streamlined complaint system, to which they’ll take immediate actions.

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

Employer Retaliation

• It is illegal and discriminatory to retaliate against victims of sexual harassment, as well as those who have testified or participated in any trial or investigation. Forms of retaliation include preventing them from promotions, firing, or treating an employee badly that his or her work performance is affected.

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

Cost of Sexual Harassment• Sexual harassment is a big liability for any

business. It costs businesses hundreds of thousands of dollars in settlement. Legal fees alone cost about $100,000.

• Federal law settlement cap: $300,000; State law cap: can reach up to seven figures 

Ex. UBS Financial Services, which was required to pay a settlement of over $10 million to a sales employee harassed by a superior

The Fiscal Times

More Sexual Harassment Facts

• 11,300 sexual harassment complaints in 2011;

• 1,400 of the complaints received were settled with a total fee of $52 million

• 70 percent of workers do not report sexual harassment complaints

The Fiscal Times

The Huffington Post

What are the benefits of sexual harassment training?

• Legal and regulatory compliance: States like Maine, California and Connecticut require supervisory level workers to undergo at least two hours of sexual harassment training annually. Sexual harassment training trains HR managers and personnel on how to establish a sexual harassment/grievance reporting program.

360training.com

• A safe and productive workplace: No harassment, no drama. Workers will feel enabled to do their best at work and protect themselves from harassment.

360training.com

Purpose of Retraining

• Two hours of retraining is mandated by law for supervisory employees, two years following their initial training.

University of California Policy on Sexual Harassment

Sources:

• http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/Articles/2013/08/22/The-High-Cost-of-Sexual-Harassment

• http://sexual-harassment.universityofcalifornia.edu/

• http://www.360training.com/enterprise