“Watch this video, check this box” sexual harassment training is no longer acceptable in California, and about blinkin’ time! Rote, non-interactive training may be useful as a defense to a lawsuit, but it turns out it’s more cost effective to just do the right thing by doing it right in the first place.

Just after I launched my law practice, a client asked me to conduct a sexual harassment review, with follow-on training based on our findings. This client wasn’t looking for litigation insurance; instead, he challenged me to be creative in designing a meaningful approach that would resonate and take hold as a vital part of the company’s culture.

Since then, I will only conduct sexual harassment education in person. More useful than webinars (and certainly better than video), the interactive give-and-take is a learning experience that is internalized much better than any droning lecture with cute graphics or badly-acted videos.

It’s taken a while for many companies to realize how much more effective such training can be. Sure, California law has helped with its “effective interactive training” language, but the #MeToo movement—and the public discussion that it’s engendered—has been eye-opening for companies, as well. Sexual harassment doesn’t harm only the victim; employers are finally recognizing that their bottom lines are hit, too, and not just through litigation.

We love XpertHR, and I can highly recommend their HR webinar series. The one coming up this Wednesday, “50 States, 50 Sexual Harassment Training Laws,” discusses how New York is approaching its own California-style sexual harassment training requirements.

If you have any questions about XpertHR, contact Ken Adams (who got me hooked on XpertHR and then became a friend. Or was it the other way around?)

If you have any questions about conducting a sexual harassment review or investigation and meaningful training, contact me.