When you go to work, experiencing sexual harassment is the last thing on your mind. No one sees it coming because you do not expect any foul treatment in the workplace. An office is a neutral place that we go to every day. Certain things are expected in an office like a bit of paperwork, some signatures here and there, but no one anticipates getting sexually harassed.
Unfortunately, most employees who are victims of sexual harassment in California can do nothing about it because most abusers tend to be in a position of power. Even the Senate of California came in to address this issue.
In 2018, the Senate bill 1343 was signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown. It was to mandate a training course that lets employees of different sectors get familiarized with their rights and responsibilities under California anti-harassment laws. With that, whenever they got into a fix in the office, they would use that knowledge and know-how to handle the case lawfully. When done the right way, an Irvine-California sexual harassment lawyer can win millions from one case.
The deadline for the training was previously set for January 2020, but since the legislation was introduced in 2019, the deadline was pushed a whole year to January 2021.
Requirements for the course
The requirements for the training are fundamental, and there is nothing complicated about it.
For starters, any company with five or more employees must take up the training. Secondly, the managers and supervisors of your company must go through a two-hour training session. After the training, they should be in a position to properly handle a case that is reported to them on a sexual harassment case.
Thirdly and most recently added to the requirements, all staff members must also go through the free course to curb sexual harassment in California. Their session takes only an hour. After the course, they should be in a position to decipher which actions are deemed sexual abuse and how to handle it in terms of reporting it and following it up with a lawyer if it is extreme.
After the commencement of the training, a refresher must be done after two years. That goes for both the managerial team and the staff.
Now, if the company hires a new employee after the new deadline date, they are obligated to give them the same training before the six-month mark of employment is reached. Failure to do so will land them on the wrong side of the law for disobeying the sexual harassment in California bill.
What will the training entail?
The pieces of training for the managers and non-managerial team differs in terms of issues brought forward, hence the different length of sessions. Admittedly, the superiors have a more significant responsibility; thus, their course lasts an hour longer. Regardless, the course will touch on Gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation.
How to access the free course
There are fundamentally three ways to get this free course.
The first way is through a webinar where a trained speaker on sexual assault will take the teams through everything to do with sexual harassment in the workplace.
The second way is through an online course, where the staffs sign up for the course and do it from wherever they are.
Last but not least, there is the in-person training. Here the trainer comes into the office and does the practice through a small seminar held in the office.
The managing board of the company decides the best method. Although, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the first two are the best.
At the moment, the lessons via webinar and online are handled in English, but will soon be available in multiple languages. The in-person training can be conducted in any dialect the facilitator deems fit.
All in all, employees must comply with this bill and get the training done by 31 December 2020.