WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) — The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced Oct. 4 it will launch two new training programs for employers: "Leading for Respect (for supervisors)" and "Respect in the Workplace" (for all employees).
"A strong training program is a critical piece of a holistic harassment prevention effort,” said EEOC Commissioner Chai Feldblum, the report's other author.
Fully customizable for different workplaces, these training programs will focus not only on legal definitions for liability but also provide alternative training methods. The programs will focus on how to create a strong workplace free from discrimination by respecting one another. The programs will showcase what types of behavior contribute to a respectful and inclusive workplace.
The programs come following the report of the co-chairs of the EEOC's select task force on the study of harassment in the workplace.
"We always said the report was just a first step," said EEOC acting chair Victoria Lipnic, co-author of the report. "Implementation of the report's recommendations is key. These trainings incorporate the report's recommendations on compliance, workplace civility, and bystander intervention training. I believe the trainings can have a real impact on workplace culture, and I hope employers make use of them."