Situation:
In Fiscal Year 2005, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) received 12,679 charges of sexual harassment. The EEOC resolved 12,859 sexual harassment charges in FY 2004 and recovered $47.9 million in monetary benefits for charging parties and other aggrieved individuals (not including monetary benefits obtained through litigation).
In efforts to curtail and prevent employee harassment in the workplace, many states within the United States have decided to mandate employer harassment training. California has set the standard with the enactment of California Law AB 1825, which has become the model for future statuatory requirements. Like California, some states have passed statutes requiring sexual harassment training for employees at all companies over a certain size, while other states only mandate the harassment training for state agencies. (See chart for state-by-state requirements.)
Harassment training and education programs should include information and practical guidance regarding the federal and state statutory provisions concerning the prohibition against and the prevention and correction of sexual harassment, as well as the remedies available to victims of sexual harassment in employment. The training and education should also include practical examples aimed at instructing supervisors in the prevention of harassment, discrimination, and retaliation, and should be presented by trainers or educators with knowledge and expertise in the prevention of harassment, discrimination, and retaliation.
Proactive elements for harrassment prevention are the best tools to eliminate sexual harassment in the workplace. These include sexual harassment training and a confidential and anonymous allegation reporting vehicle. All allegation reports must be taken seriously, investigated and addressed. Providing legally mandated sexual harassment training, along with a reporting vehicle may serve as evidence that an employer took all reasonable steps necessary to prevent discrimination and harassment.
Solution:
Global Compliance provides customized web-based training modules inclusive of quizzes, certification and management reporting to validate receipt and comprehension of the harassment training. Optional Interactive Voice Response (IVR) quizzes, certification and management reports accommodate non-web-enabled employees.
Additionally, Global Compliance also offers 24/7/365 hotline and web reporting vehicles in up to 150 languages to allow reporting of incidents of harassment in the workplace. Reported data is housed in a centralized repository enabling efficient investigation and follow-up. Query, analysis and trending of reports help to identify repetitive incidents that must be addressed in order to prevent future occurrences.
Outcome:
An ongoing employee education and training program, reporting vehicle, and associated management investigation and tracking provides employee, Board and shareholder reassurance and also documentation for compliance with State, Federal, and EEOC Guidelines. Proactive awareness and education correlates to a reduction in incidents of harassment and the associated punitive damages.
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