California Sexual Harassment Training

Sexual harassment is a big issue in today’s society, many people protesting against in many states across the nation. It has been a big issue for many years, probably beginning in the first job that had more than one person. It will continue to be a problem unless it is stopped in its tracks – this can only happen with proper training for sexual harassment.

Sexual harassment happens across the country in many states. Perhaps it is best known in California in the movie making business. For years, it has been known that certain movie executives expected certain things from the women, and sometimes the men, in the business.

            It is important that there is sexual harassment training in any business to protect the employees of the business. It also helps to protect the business from expensive lawsuits when the harassment happens at the business. If you have the training as a part of your workplace, people will know that you will respect them and their boundaries.

            Listed below are some tips for having a successful sexual harassment training program at your workplace. You can also do some research and find more information, but this will give you a start. You will want to implement this training as soon as you can.

  1. Get Management Approval

You will first want to get management approval for this training, and it should be easy to get their approval. They should want to provide the training as much as you want them to. This can save them money from expensive lawsuits and can help them to protect their employees.

  • Provide the Training to Managers and Supervisors

You will first want to provide the training to the managers and supervisors for at least two important reasons. The first reason is so that they will know the rules and regulations that you are training about, and to know what sexual harassment actually is. The second reason is so that they can approve or disapprove of the training itself. They may have other ideas that you have not thought about.

  • Define Your Goals

You will need to focus on your goals and define them so that you can successfully train those goals. You will want to focus on standards for personal conduct, legal compliance, and the definition of what sexual harassment really is, for a start. You will want to have it all outlined so that you, as the trainer, will not forget anything important.

  • Focus On More Than Legal Compliance and Do Not Just Discuss the Obvious

There is more to sexual harassment than just legal compliance – there are nuances to it that need to be discussed. There is also more to it than just the obvious, you need to focus on all the little nuances, as well. You will want to train about all the little things that can be a part of sexual harassment that others might not have thought of. This can include standing uncomfortably close to another employee or telling a sexually referenced joke.

  • Develop a Sexual Harassment Policy Handbook

If you have a sexual harassment policy handbook that you can pass out to your employees, they can have it as a reference when they are thinking about doing something that may not be approved. They can also reference it if they are a victim of sexual harassment. If you want some help in developing a policy handbook, you can look here: https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/tools-and-samples/policies/pages/cms_000534.aspx.  It will give you some ideas to work from.

  • Customize the Training to Fit Your Workplace

There may be nuances that your workplace has that other workplaces do not. You will want to address those particular issues in your training. Make sure that it aligns with your mission and values and fits with your vision for your workplace.

  • Decide Format of Your Training and Buy Any Courseware That You May Need

You want your training to be relevant, engaging, and interactive. You do not want it to be so boring that your employees do not want to engage in it. You will also need to purchase any courseware that you might need to provide this type of training. You want your employees to really learn about this issue and not just go through the steps to be certified.

  • Define the Scope and Focus of Your Training

You want to focus on the positive side of this type of training, if at all possible. You can also add in basic respect with the training, letting your employees know that you will respect them, and they should respect each other. If you have a focus on respect, your company will do much better with sexual harassment training.

  • In-House Training or Outsourced Training?

Sometimes you have the perfect people in-house that can provide this type of training and you will not have to outsource it. If this is the case, you need to allow your own people to do the job. If you feel that there are not people who can do it, then definitely outsource it. The important thing is the training is done and it is done effectively. There are many companies that provide this type of training for your company. You can do some research to find the right company for you.

  1. Determine the Length and Frequency of the Training

You will need to decide how long you want the training to be done and how frequently you want to do it. Can you get the job done in one day-long session, or will you need to do it in shorter sessions that are spread over a period of time? You know your employees best and know what would be best for them.

Adam Hansen
 

Adam is a part time journalist, entrepreneur, investor and father.