SACRAMENTO The California Chamber of Commerce today reminded employers that as the holidays approach, it is a good time to review sexual harassment prevention policies and make employees aware of what is acceptable behavior in the workplace.
‘During the holidays, there is often a sense of a more relaxed work environment,’ said Jessica Hawthorne, an employment attorney with CalChamber. ‘Work parties, decorations, and Halloween costumes can present some challenges for both employers and employees. It is vital that businesses do everything to equip their employees with proper training and awareness of what is acceptable and what may be considered offensive to others in the workplace.’
CalBizCentral, a division of the Chamber and a leading provider of human resources and legal information, is offering an online sexual harassment prevention training course that helps businesses comply with state law. ‘Employers are strongly advised to train their staff members, reissue all relevant policies, such as harassment, dress code and appropriate workplace behavior rules and remind all employees how to report unwanted or unwelcome behavior,’ said Hawthorne.
California requires companies with 50 or more employees to train all supervisory personnel in sexual harassment prevention. Employers must prove that all of their supervisory personnel take an interactive, two-hour harassment prevention course within six months of hire and every two years thereafter. CalChamber encourages companies with fewer employees to invest in training all staff as prevention against a claim and to improve employee morale.
CalChamber offers a California harassment prevention training course, in both English and Spanish. Participants can take the course as their time permits and get answers to their questions from legal experts at CalChamber. The course covers the definitions of harassment, appropriate responses to harassment situations and how to avoid potentially offensive workplace conduct that place businesses at risk. The course’s learning management system platform allows for storage of all training records to meet legal requirements.
About CalChamber
The California Chamber of Commerce (CalChamber) is the largest broad-based business advocate to government in California. Membership represents one-quarter of the private sector jobs in California and includes firms of all sizes and companies from every industry within the state. Leveraging its front-line knowledge of laws and regulations, it provides products and services to help businesses comply with both federal and state law. CalChamber, a not-for-profit organization with roots dating to 1890, promotes international trade and investment in order to stimulate California’s economy and create jobs.
About CalBizCentral
CalBizCentral is the premier provider of information that helps businesses easily understand and follow complex California and federal employment laws and regulations. Continuously updated with the most current legal information, human resource tools, forms and calculators, CalBizCentral alleviates confusion and allows businesses to focus their time and effort on their work.
