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More Information on Workplace Compliance
 
 
 
General Information

Workplace compliance issues touch the entire organization. Recent surveys indicated that over 80% of US corporations have had litigation lawsuits with former employees. No organization is immune to the litigious nature of business and the escalating number of workplace compliance-related lawsuits.
Web based Workplace Compliance Courses (WCC) is a flexible educational program that will equip companies of any size with the knowledge they need to comply with increasingly complicated, frequently changing regulations concerning workplace safety, harassment on the job, and creating a fair and respectful working environment for all employees.
The WCC library of compliance briefs is comprised of short, to-the-point lessons designed to develop employees’ skills and knowledge in key areas.  The briefs are delivered online, and can be completed at the participant’s convenience – wherever and whenever.  "Briefs" differ from most traditional web-based training courses because they are just that:  brief.  Compliance briefs should take no longer than 30-45 minutes to complete and are focused, informative, and practical.  Each brief guides the learner through no more than three specific objectives and assesses his or her ability to practice the compliance-related behavior in the workplace at the conclusion of the brief.   
Other features of WCC compliance briefs that make them the best choice for compliance training:
  • Few complex interactive "flash" graphics to load: enable participants to complete the brief in a timely manner via any type of Internet connection, including dial-up
  • User-friendly language that makes "legalese" read with ease
  • Examples that are similar to real situations that employees might encounter in your own organization, not some hypothetical, unrealistic place
  • A fully-customizable interactive application exercise after each learning objective
  • An assessment tailored to your needs for tracking employee participation in training, their success rate, and virtually any other type of data you wish to collect
  • The availability of follow-up consulting by WCC and its parent firm, The Scher Group, on problematic organizational areas:  We can develop a solid plan for enhancing organizational knowledge and performance.  
Workplace Compliance Training Services was formed in response to demands from professional service firms, who agreed that information currently available fails to adequately prepare companies for the rapid introduction and changes of complex and potentially threatening legislation and governmental regulations they face.
The WCC library of compliance briefs is designed to make employees and their companies wiser consumers of information regarding such topics as sexual harassment, occupational safety and health, diversity, and workplace violence by teaching them basic strategies for meeting the demands of regulatory agencies and cultivating a better understanding of why regulations exist. As a result, the library offers companies the opportunity to become socially and ethically responsible and lower their exposure to potentially expensive, damaging, embarrassing, and threatening litigation.
Each brief is designed as a 45 minute module that targets employee thinking and behavior about a specific compliance-related issue. Each web-based module includes an overview (including definitions of terms), two or three pointed learning objectives, on-line workbook pages designed to "teach" the content of each objective, an application exercise for each objective designed to give the learner practice in using the knowledge in a realistic way, a summary review, quiz, and final assessment.
There is no other program like WCC currently available for organizations of any size.  Professionally developed curriculum helps your employees be in compliance at all times.  The WCC Library is flexible; we can customize each brief in the following ways:
  • The examples provided in each lesson – to reflect the vocabulary used in your business and situations your employees might really encounter.
  • The assessments provided at the conclusion of each brief – to give you the data you need to make long-lasting improvements in your organizations
  • The content itself – to reflect changes in regulations
 The following is an up-to-date list of briefs available through the WCC Library.  Check back often for updates.
Sexual Harassment and Sex-Based Harassment:
Unwelcome Conduct, Quid Pro Quo and Hostile Environments:  The Latest You Should Know About Sexual Harassment and How it is Defined 

Determining Appropriate Nonverbal Behavior in the Workplace

 Sex-Based Harassment:  Not All Harassment is Sexual
  •  Harassment Directed Toward Gays & Lesbians:  Building Understanding, Policies, and Promoting Awareness
  • Same-Sex Harassment:  Understanding the "Gray" Areas of Sexual Harassment Policy
  • Verbal Harassment:  Know When to Draw the Line in Workplace Conversations
  • Physical Harassment:  Avoiding the Most Blatant Form of Sexual Harassment
  • Management/Supervisor Responsibilities:  Handling the Sexual Harassment Complaint Sensitively and Appropriately
 Workplace Stress, Aggression, and Violence 
  • Stress Management Begins With You:  What Employees Can Do to Create a Lower Stress Environment 
  • Organizational Change Basics for Managers:  Small and Large Changes for Lowering Employee Job-Related Stress
  • Strategies for Identifying Workplace Violence Potential:  Difficult Clients, Problems With Co-Workers, and Dealing with the Public
  • The Late Night Retail Industry:  Hazard Abatement and Prevention
  • Intimidating, Frightening, and Disruptive Behavior:  Recognizing and Diffusing the Most Common Incidents of Workplace Stress
  • Anger Management and Simple Conflict Resolution:  Basic Communication Strategies for Preventing Stress, Aggression, and Violence
  • Personal Security Measures:  Empower Yourself by Knowing What Protective Resources are Available
  • Management/Supervisor Responsibilities:  Responding Sensitively and Appropriately to Incident Reports
Substance Abuse In the Workplace 
  • How to Recognize Substance Abuse & What to Do:  Your Responsibilities as a Manager or Supervisor
  • How to Recognize Substance Abuse & What You Can Do:  Your Role as a Co-Worker
  • What Managers and Supervisors Need to Know About Drug Testing
Workplace Diversity
  • Ageism:  One of the Subtle "-Isms" to Beware
  • Ethnic/Racial/Color Diversity:  It’s Not Just "Political Correctness"
  • Gender and Communication:  Similarities, Differences, and How to Communicate Flexibly
Fair Hiring, Retention, and Promotion Practices (For Managers, Supervisors, and anyone involved in the hiring, retention, promotion, and termination process)
  • Employer Responsibilities:  The Interview
  • Employer Rights:  The Background Investigation
  • What are My Rights/Responsibilities Under the Americans With Disabilities Act? 
  • How to Avoid Negligent Hiring 
  • How to Avoid Negligent Promotion 
  • How to Avoid Negligent Retention 
  • It’s Time to Discipline:  Handling the Conversation, Appropriate Documentation Processes
  • Best Practices for Conducting Performance Evaluations 
  • Handling Terminations
 Understanding the Family and Medical Leave Act:  Rights and Responsibilities
 OSHA Training
 Section 508 Compliance for Managers and Supervisors:  IT Accessibility
  • What Are My Responsibilities?:  Types of Disabilities Covered by 508
  • How Do I Accommodate Disabilities Covered by 508?:  Types of Assistive Technologies Used by Persons with Disabilities
Post 9/11 Compliance Concerns:  Workplace Rights of Muslims, Arabs, South Asians and Sikhs
E-Mail and Internet Use Policies:  Recognizing Your Own Potential E-Mail or Internet Abuse Before It’s Too Late
Socialization and Mentoring:  Relationships for Proactively Learning the Rules and Norms of Your Company
Compliance Assessments:
Employer Labor Law Audit
Organizational Climate Assessment
Gender Role in the Workplace Inventory
Aggression in the Workplace
Workplace Violence Predictor Index
Diversity Sensitivity Measure
 
ROI of Workplace Compliance Courses
 
Workplace law compliance has been a driver in organizations seeking accountable means of training. Corporate litigation cases are increasing at an alarming rate. Workplace related claims, charges and lawsuits increased at all levels from 1991. This trend is increasing at an alarming rate. Recent surveys indicated that over 80% of US corporations have had litigation lawsuits with former employees. Consider the following market drivers:
  • Corporate, association, government, and other organizational budgets rarely include adequate defense amounts against employee litigation. Should a suit arise, a company is often faced with redirecting budget dollars for defense instead of their original intent.
  • The average jury award for wrongful termination claims is $1,800,000 and one-fifth of jury awards now top the $1,000,000 mark. 1
  • The total amount employers pay out as a result of harassment and discrimination claims has doubled in the last five years.2
  • The amount of EEOC claims rose again in 2001 in line with the number of lawsuits that rise during an economic downturn.3
  • The following hard and soft costs, their average dollar and time amounts incurred by an organization to defend itself against a single claim that arose in the employment law area.
    • Defense Hard costs
      • Attorney fees if case goes to trial: $250,000
      • Attorney fees if case settles prior to trial: $95,000
      • Manager time expended in the claim process: 40 hours
      • Employee time expended in the claim process: 40 hours
      • Employee time spent investigating the claim: 60 hours
      • Employee time spent preparing for trial: 60 hours
      • Range of settlement costs or jury awards: $150,000 to $250,000+
    • Defense Soft Costs
      • Impact of the workforce in terms of distraction and reduced morale
      • Impact in the cost of insurance if company is covered and experiences losses
      • Impact of negative publicity (and stock price if publicly traded)
      • Impact on attracting the best employees given the negative publicity
  • Employment litigation and protective insurance premiums rose 50% in 2001 and can expect an increase of 25% in the upcoming year.4
This potential financial loss and disruptive nature of workplace compliance lawsuits can and do have a numbing effect on the workplace. Employee morale and individual productivity is diminished and usually takes months even years to fully recover.
Is one of your professional services firms part of Workplace Compliance Training Services? Search here to locate a firm that can both meet your compliance law and training needs.
 

1Reed Abelson, Surge in Bias Cases Punishes Insurers, and Premiums Rise, N.Y. TIMES, Jan. 9, 2002
2Jonhathon D. Glater, New Guards to Lesson Liability, N.Y. TIMES, Aug. 8, 2001
3Nancy Montwieler, EEOC Litigation Increased During Fiscal 2001, Daily Lab. Rep. (BNA), Dec. 5, 2001, at A2.
4Reed Abelson, Surge in Bias Cases Punishes Insurers, and Premiums Rise, N.Y. TIMES, Jan. 9, 2002.
Source: Littler Mendelson