Why Is Anti-Harassment & Anti-Discrimination Training Important?

While it is not a legal requirement in all states, most Equal Employment and Human Rights agencies STRONGLY encourage employers to conduct education and anti-harassment training programs for all employees on a regular basis.

Employers are further advised to conduct additional training addressing supervisory responsibilities, as well as the steps that such leaders should take to ensure immediate and appropriate corrective action in addressing harassment complaints. This is significant because employers are vicariously liable for the conduct of those persons whom they place in supervisory positions.

In some cases, an employer’s failure to train hiring managers and supervisors about the legal issues pertaining to discrimination law amounts to a reckless indifference to the law. Lack of such training has been found to justify an award against the employer. In cases where punitive damages may be sought, proof of training may mitigate the damages assessed.

In order to avoid or diminish liability, appropriate training must be conducted to show that the employer took reasonable care to prevent sexual harassment and discrimination in the workplace. Insufficient or poor training with inappropriate information will not demonstrate a good faith effort to prevent harassment or offer a strong defense.

Employers need more than an “in-name-only” policy. And having employees watch a few videos on the computer is woefully insufficient.

Training is a preventative course of action necessary to protect the interests of all businesses; however, compliance training is not beneficial if not customized to one’s business culture. Workplace Awareness training customizes its programs so that a manufacturing plant with 80 – 120 employees does not receive the same type of presentation as a 15-person dental practice.

Helene Horn Figman, J.D., has experience serving as a state administrative hearings officer in workplace discrimination cases, which enhances her ability to provide high-quality, legally compliant training. She has completed MCAD training for presenting anti-discrimination / anti-harassment programs. All her training programs, whether virtual or in-person, are interactive and prepared for the employer’s unique type of business and corporate culture.