Almost two-thirds of employees, or 64 percent, say sexual harassment in the workplace is a serious problem, up from 47 percent in 2015, according to a recent Washington Post-ABC News poll. 30 percent of women surveyed have experienced unwanted sexual advances from male co-workers, and 23 percent said they were harassed by men who had influence over their jobs. Of those who reported being subjected to harassment at work, one-third said they were sexually abused. Only 42 percent of the women reported the inappropriate behavior to a supervisor, and 95 percent said the men went unpunished.

Sexual harassment is a continuing problem in the workplace that continues to gain greater visibility in our society. In this online course, an overview of sexual harassment will be given followed by statistics on the prevalence of the problem. In dealing with sexual harassment, employers must have a plan to investigate allegations of sexual harassment. Decisions must be made on who can serve as a neutral investigator and the techniques they must utilize to gather evidence in order to reach an informed decision on the allegations made by a complainant. In making a decision on the truthfulness of the sexual harassment claims, the investigator must be able to write a report that describes the techniques used to investigate the allegations and the evidence used to justify the recommendations and actions taken while measuring the credibility of those interviewed.

This course will also look at when it is appropriate to use private methods like mediation to resolve sexual harassment claims outside of court. During the continuing professional education webinar, the Four-Phase Process Model and Settlement Process Models of mediation will be examined to determine how and when these models of mediation can be used to resolve these claims. A look will also be taken when mediation is not the answer and litigation in the courts is needed to resolve these issues.

What You'll Learn:

• To describe what constitutes sexual harassment.
• To distinguish quid pro quo sexual harassment from hostile work environment claims.
• To develop a plan to investigate and gather evidence on sexual harassment claims.
• To discuss the guidelines for making decisions on allegations of sexual harassment claims and how to write an investigative report.
• To review ways to measure the credibility of witnesses.
• To determine when mediation of a sexual harassment claim is appropriate or not

This program covers:

• The laws pertaining to harassment and discrimination.
• How to conduct a neutral, comprehensive, and fair investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct in a corporate setting?
• Planning about who will investigate and what evidence needs to be collected.
• Risk management with the proper investigative process.
• Different types of sexual harassment
• Investigating sexual harassment claims
• When to use mediation to resolve sexual harassment claims
• Different models to mediate sexual harassment claims
• Comparing mediation to litigation in resolving sexual harassment claims

Equip yourself with the tools to foster a safe and respectful workplace—because the right action starts with the right knowledge.

Who Should Attend:

• Everyone who interacts with others at work
• Human resources professionals
• Business owners
• Employee relations staff
• Benefit administrators
• Payroll professionals
• Location managers
• Division supervisors
• Supervisors
• Managers
• Plant managers
• Operations managers
• Contract managers
• Contract administrators
• Safety managers
• Division supervisors
• Chief executives
• Executive directors
• Board members
• Senior management
• Development staff
• Program directors