Harassment Training: Is Yours Really Protecting Your Bottom-Line?
Would you pay more than $98,000 for harassment training for a location with 30 employees? Thanks to a settlement with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission one company is doing just that.
This week the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission stated that Yellow Book has agreed to pay a claimant $98,000 and improve its sexual harassment training in order to settle a lawsuit brought by the agency.
An article appearing in the Asbury Park Press, written by Michael L. Diamond provides a summary of the charges and the settlement. According to the article the company failed to protect itself and its employees in numerous ways; training was offered but was clearly ineffective, when the complaint was filed with the Director of Human Resources the result was a general presentation on professional behavior – an actual investigation was not conducted and finally, after taking a leave of absence due to stress-related disorders the employee was “constructively discharged”.
All of this occurred in a company that had actually conducted “sexual harassment training”!!!!
The courts are slowly chipping away at companies’ ability to offer an affirmative defense when only a cursory attempt is made at offering harassment training. It’s not enough to offer training that simply says harassment is wrong. A program that does not result in sustained behavioral changes and is not supported by appropriate policies as well as investigatory and disciplinary measures is not an effective program and may not protect you in court.
If you are doing harassment training the quick and easy way, you may want to stop and calculate the actual potential costs of the training. What kind of cushion does your company have in its bottom – line to support a $98,000 harassment settlement plus legal costs plus lost productivity plus . . . ? As an HR professional, doing the right thing when it comes to addressing Harassment and Harassment Training is one avenue you have of making a direct contribution to your company's profits.
Click here Harassment Suit Brings $98,000 to read Diamond’s full article as posted by the Asbury Park Press.
Posted by Denise Knutson, Senior Consultant, The H.S. Group
This week the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission stated that Yellow Book has agreed to pay a claimant $98,000 and improve its sexual harassment training in order to settle a lawsuit brought by the agency.
An article appearing in the Asbury Park Press, written by Michael L. Diamond provides a summary of the charges and the settlement. According to the article the company failed to protect itself and its employees in numerous ways; training was offered but was clearly ineffective, when the complaint was filed with the Director of Human Resources the result was a general presentation on professional behavior – an actual investigation was not conducted and finally, after taking a leave of absence due to stress-related disorders the employee was “constructively discharged”.
All of this occurred in a company that had actually conducted “sexual harassment training”!!!!
The courts are slowly chipping away at companies’ ability to offer an affirmative defense when only a cursory attempt is made at offering harassment training. It’s not enough to offer training that simply says harassment is wrong. A program that does not result in sustained behavioral changes and is not supported by appropriate policies as well as investigatory and disciplinary measures is not an effective program and may not protect you in court.
If you are doing harassment training the quick and easy way, you may want to stop and calculate the actual potential costs of the training. What kind of cushion does your company have in its bottom – line to support a $98,000 harassment settlement plus legal costs plus lost productivity plus . . . ? As an HR professional, doing the right thing when it comes to addressing Harassment and Harassment Training is one avenue you have of making a direct contribution to your company's profits.
Click here Harassment Suit Brings $98,000 to read Diamond’s full article as posted by the Asbury Park Press.
Posted by Denise Knutson, Senior Consultant, The H.S. Group
posted by The H.S. Group at
6:28 AM
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