March 30, 2005 Japan Intercultural Consulting’s Japanese language sexual harassment prevention training helps japanese companies meet new California requirements
As of January 5 of this year, all California employers with 50 or more employees or contractors will be required to provide at least 2 hours of sexual harassment prevention training to all supervisory employees who have not received such training in 2003 or 2004. All newly-hired supervisors and all individuals who are newly promoted to the position of supervisor will also be required to undergo 2 hours of sexual harassment prevention training within 6 months of their hiring or promotion. In addition, beginning on January 1, 2006, employers will need to provide on-going training for all supervisors, consisting of at least 2 hours of sexual harassment prevention training every two years.
This new law also sets for specific guidelines for sexual harassment training. The training must include information and practical guidance regarding the federal and state laws concerning sexual harassment. The training should also include practical examples aimed at instructing supervisors in the prevention of harassment, discrimination, and retaliation. The training must be interactive in nature, and be conducted by a person with expertise and knowledge in this area.
It’s important to note that many attorneys say that these new training guidelines may become the standard of care by which all sexual harassment prevention training programs are measured, even if those programs are being used for non-supervisory employees or employers with fewer than 50 workers.
Japan Intercultural Consulting’s sexual harassment prevention seminars meet all the requirements described above. Because they are conducted in the Japanese language and use Japanese language participant handouts, they increase comprehension and retention of the information by Japanese participants. This format also encourages interaction; our seminars include small group discussions, an interactive quiz, and extensive question and answer and discussion sessions between the participant and the instructor. Our format also includes discussion of a large number of case studies, including ones specific to potential misunderstandings arising from cultural differences between U.S. and Japanese culture. The session contents also cover other types of discrimination, such as age, pregnancy, national origin, race, gender, religion, and disability, and topics to avoid when conducting employment interviews.
The following are some recent comments from Japanese participants in our sexual harassment prevention seminars: “I feel better now that I have a deeper understanding about sexual harassment,” “I was surprised to find out that how the company handles things when there is a problem would also be scrutinized,” “There were things I had never thought of and I will be careful in the future,” “Three and a half hours is long, but it didn’t feel that way. It was enjoyable and useful,” “It was a useful reference for my communication with American people on a daily basis.”
With two bilingual facilitators located in Los Angeles, and two others in nearby western states, we are well-positioned to meet the training needs of Japanese companies in California. For further information, please contact us.
