Sexual harassment is a form of sex discrimination that violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Title VII applies to employers with 15 or more employees, including state and local governments. It also applies to employment agencies and to labor organizations, as well as to the federal government. Recent court decisions, EEOC guidelines, and state laws make it essential that all employers provide their employees harassment prevention training. See, e.g. Gaines v. Bellino (New Jersey Supreme Court), Faragher v. City of Boca Raton (U.S. Supreme Court).
Organizations that provide such training may:
Avoid punitive damages in employee lawsuits
Assert a defense to harassment lawsuits
Follow federal guidelines established by the EEOC
Follow state laws and guidelines
[Leaving employees] in ignorance of the basic features of the discrimination laws is an extraordinary mistake for a company to make, and such an extraordinary mistake amounts to reckless indifference.'
Matthis v. Phillips Chevrolet (7th Cir. 2001)
Goal:
The goal of this course is to train employees to recognize, to report, and to prevent incidents of sexual harassment in the workplace.
Objectives:
Define Sexual harassment.
Identify behaviors that might be considered sexual harassment.
Identify the proper actions employees should take if they experience or witness sexual harassment.
Understand personal liability and the liability of others when sexual harassment takes place.