If you have a workplace to organize and run, then you already understand the importance of creating a safe and supportive atmosphere. And atmosphere of respect, in which all of your employees feel valued and esteemed. Yet, you also know that sexual harassment is certainly not completely eradicated, and that it is, therefore, something to be highly worried and concerned about, aiming at putting your best effort into ensuring that it doesn’t happen in your organization. Read some more about it on this page.
Anyway, you may have been thinking about how to ensure that your workplace in California is free of such problems. And, you may have come across the idea of actually organizing certain sexual harassment trainings for your staff. Yet, you don’t want to jump towards doing this if you don’t really understand the importance of it in the first place. And, well, that is what we are going to be discussing right now.
I suppose that, on some level, you understand the importance of this already. This, however, doesn’t mean that you are completely convinced that you should go through with this for your organization. In other words, while you have a sense of the importance, you may not understand the specifics. And, we are now going to talk about those specifics below.
Why Sexual Harassment Training Is Important
I could simply say that training your staff in how to respond to sexual harassment, what to do when they notice it, and how to reduce the risk of it happening in the workplace at all, is important. I could say that and be done with it. But, as mentioned above, you want to know the specifics. You want to understand precisely why it is so important, and that is what we are going to be talking about today, hoping to help you decide if you want to conduct these training in your California workplace or not.
This could be of some help as well: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36508513/
- It Helps Protect Employee Well-Being
The most obvious reason why this type of training is so important is because it, of course, helps protect the well-being of your employees. Harassment is in itself extremely serious, and it can then lead to some other problems, such as stress, anxiety, and even depression. If your employees are not well, this leads to them not wanting to come to work, fearing their return to the office, as well as being generally unsatisfied with their job, feeling unsafe and unsupported. This is certainly not what you want, and with the trainings, you will send a clear message that the well-being of your employees matters to you.
- It Reduces Legal and Financial Risks for Your Organization
I suppose this is also an obvious thing that you already have in mind. But, it still has to be mentioned. In short, if you don’t properly inform your employees and train them to prevent and react when they notice sexual harassment, this can increase the legal and financial risks for you organization. After all, harassment claims can be highly expensive, and facing lawsuits can also lead to reputational damage, which further results in costs that go beyond the actual settlement and the legal processes.
- It Is Actually Required By California Law
Since we are talking about the legal consequences, you should also understand one thing here. The California law requires most employers to conduct sexual harassment trainings every two years. Companies that have 5 or more employees are obligated to do this, with the supervisors having to go through 2 hours of training, and the rest of employees through 1 hour. So, if you don’t want to face the legal consequences of not being in compliance with these rules, you should definitely have the trainings organized.
- It Helps Create a Culture of Respect
We all know that a single session certainly won’t change the workplace, especially if there are already some rather serious and problematic issues that you have to face. Yet, consistent and meaningful training can make quite a huge difference over time. In short, when you get great Sexual Harassment Training California, your employees will learn to identify inappropriate behavior, to act appropriately when they notice it, to speak up and support their colleagues. All of which will help create a culture of respect in the workplace, and I am sure you understand just how important that is.
- It Promotes Fairness and Equality
Finally, when all employees have a good enough understanding of what constitutes harassment, how to set boundaries, and what equality means, the entire workplace is sure to become more inclusive. An atmosphere of fairness and equality is sure to be created, which is another reason why you should absolutely do this. That way, you will create equal opportunities for everyone, no kind of discrimination will be tolerated, and your employees will know that everyone will be held accountable for their actions, regardless of their position in the office.
