Human Resource Blog

Sexual Harassment Training in Florida

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Are we required by Florida law to provide Supervisors/Attorneys with Sexual Harrasment training?

Thank you.

You are not required by law to provide training in how to avoid sexual harassment, but it is a best practice in the HR field and a smart thing to do. The EEOC or Equal Employment Opportunity Commission enforces laws against discrimination, including discrimination based on sex and sexual harassment. An employer who has a policy in place to prevent sexual harassment can often mount an affirmative defense against charges that they have violated the law. In other words, the employer can say that an individual employee, and not the company as a whole, was at fault. The most expensive lawsuits occur when an employer appears to tacitly condone sexual harassment or discrimination by having no policy against it, or training, in place. So an effective anti-discrimination policy can potentially save the company millions of dollars in settlements and lawsuits — and we are not exaggerating.

An effective policy to prevent sexual harassment and discrimination of all types would include:
Developing a company policy against discrimination and sexual harassment and a system to address any complaints
Posting notices or otherwise advising all employees — not just supervisors –of the policy and the complaint process
Conducting anti-discrimination training for all supervisors or even all employees
Responding quickly and appropriately when there is a complaint

Many companies with several locations also establish a toll-free number for employees to report problems, including discrimination.