| Description: |
Today’s society demands two mutually exclusive things from employers. The workplace has become a place where workers bring much of their personal lives, as a central point of their existence. However, unlike home, the workplace has some vaguely defined lines that, if crossed, may result in allegations of discrimination, sexual harassment, or other forms of unlawful conduct can be made. Employers must walk a tightrope between a friendly supportive environment and a legally prohibited one. A proper, consistently enforced sexual harassment policy can help maintain that fine balance. In this session you will learn: the legal basis for sexual harassment complaints, who can be a victim and who can be a harasser, what intentional acts may (or may not) be necessary to establish the basis for a complaint, and the role of economic loss for the victim. The session covers the two basic types of harassment (quid pro quo & hostile work environment) as well as the obligations of an employer, the elements of an effective harassment policy and action plans that support a policy. Interaction with the public is also covered. Finally, easy-to-use sample policies will be reviewed. |
| Approach: |
Presentation with Q & A session for general informational presentation. |
| Audience: |
Variations in the session are offered for different audiences, such as a workshop session for management teams that are crafting a policy, or an informational discussion session for broader employee audiences. |
| Size Group: |
Optimal group size is 5-10 for the workshop that takes about 2 hours; up to 30 for the informational session that takes about 90 minutes. |
| Estimated Time: |
Management workshop 2 hours. General information session for all employees 90 minutes. |
| Setting/equipment: |
Conference style or conference table for management workshop. Classroom style for general information session. No visual aids. Includes handout material. |