A new year provides new opportunities for reviewing your training program and making sure your employees are receiving the training they need, particularly in relation to compliance. For example, when was the last time you really looked at your harassment training? Are you sure your employees are getting the most up-to-date information?
Federal Speak Out Act of 2022
According to recent research, one in three women experienced sexual harassment in the workplace, but approximately 90% of the victims never filed a complaint. Part of this lack of reporting has been attributed to nondisclosure clauses written into employees’ contracts. Congress passed the Federal Speak Out Act in an attempt to curb this issue.
The Act prohibits the reinforcement of pre-dispute non-disclosure and non-disparagement provisions in cases related to sexual harassment and sexual assault. For example, if an employer has included a provision in an employment agreement that prevents employees from speaking about a sexual harassment incident, that part of the agreement cannot be enforced in court. In addition to federal laws, states and local municipalities may have even more stringent laws against harassment and discrimination.
Additional updates to harassment laws include expanding definitions of protected classes – the groups of people legally protected from discrimination based on certain characteristics. Many states have also passed the CROWN Act, which prohibits racial discrimination based on someone’s hairstyle or texture.
Ensure Your Harassment Training is Up-to-Date
As an employer, it’s your job to make sure you’re providing your employees with the training they need. This can be a daunting task. Here are three ways to make sure your employees are receiving up-to-date training:
- Review training regularly: Make sure you’re frequently reviewing all training materials to ensure not only the content, but the messaging is relevant and accurate.
- Assign training schedules: Don’t just train employees once and hope they remember what they’ve learned. Even if your state doesn’t mandate annual certifications for compliance training, you can set up training schedules and learning paths to refresh employees on their training periodically.
- Stay informed: Make sure you stay informed on all topics that could impact your employees or their training. If you hear about updates to laws related to compliance training, make sure your training is updated to reflect them.
Train Employees to Prevent Harassment
The more information employees have, the more empowered they will be. Online training through a learning management system is efficient and effective. Online learning also provides flexibility in how and when users can train, as well as the ability to track training and certifications. When laws change, you can take advantage of your LMS’s document library or document acknowledgement features to ensure all employees are aware of updates as soon as possible.
Harassment Prevention Training from Ready Training Online
At RTO®, we’re committed to helping you create and maintain a respectful workplace while complying with federal and state laws. Our harassment prevention training program uses real-world examples to teach employees how to recognize harassment and help prevent it. State-specific sexual harassment prevention training is also available.
