In California and many other states, sexual harassment training for a company’s managers and employees is no longer an option, but a requirement. Soteria HR provides both online training and in-person training depending upon our client’s preferences. The goal of sexual harassment training is to protect your company from lawsuits while keeping you in compliance with state and federal statutes and regulatory compliance.
Let’s take a closer look at what’s happening in California and the new requirements.
In California, 2 hours of sexual harassment training is required of all supervisors and managers of employees. For nonsupervisory employees, 1 hour of sexual harassment training must take place within 6 months of hire or promotion and every 2 years thereafter. To comply with the January 1, 2020 compliance deadline, every employee in California, whether supervisory or nonsupervisory, must be trained during the 2019 calendar year.
Since Soteria HR makes it a top priority to keep our client companies in full compliance, sexual harassment training is one of our focal points of 2019. Training modules that meet the requirements of the new California sexual harassment training statutes include the following sections
Historical context of the new laws and a description of the compliance statutes.
Relevant content on a variety of current workplace issues, including in office, medical, restaurant and warehouse scenarios that apply to a multitude of businesses and a variety of business contexts.
Videos demonstrations that present different harassment and discrimination situations in a fictional context to promote understanding and awareness.
Interactive learning through questions, person-to-person interactions, and tests.
Soteria HR wants your California business to be in compliance with the new laws and regulations., our HR consultants will make sure your employees receive the latest sexual harassment trainings, your employee handbooks are updated, and your company is not in the crosshairs for failing to abide by the new standards.
Senate Bill 820 prohibits secret settlements and non-disclosure agreements in sexual harassment cases. While a victim could choose to keep his or her name private, the perpetrator’s identity cannot be confidential.
Senate Bill 1300 forbids companies from requiring their workers to sign releases of liability as a condition of continued employment or in exchange for a bonus. Sponsored by Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson, D-Santa Barbara, she said in a statement, “California is stating clearly that we believe and support victims.”
Senate Bill 1343 expands a biannual sexual harassment training mandate to nearly all California employees. It was sponsored by Sen. Holly Mitchell, D-Los Angeles
Assembly Bill 1619, sponsored by Assemblyman Marc Berman, D-Palo Alto, provides victims up to a decade to seek civil damages from a sexual assault.
As you can see, the new sexual harassment laws and statutes in California reach far beyond sexual harassment training. However, given the seriousness of these laws, making sure to be in compliance with the new sexual harassment training requirements is a smart place to start.
Victims will have up to a decade to see civil damages from a sexual assault in or out of the workplace, therefore the need to avoid such damaging detriment in a company’s workspace is higher than ever before.
Soteria HR believes that sexual harassment training is not to be ignored and should be a priority. because workplaces are to characterized by decency and respect. By raising awareness through sexual harassment training and taking the new compliance regulations seriously, future disasters on a multitude of levels can be avoided.
Please contact Soteria HR today to learn more about sexual harassment training.