A new on-line sexual harassment prevention training program becomes available today to all University of California supervisors, including those at Berkeley Lab. Provided by the UC Office of the President, the program helps UC and the Lab to comply with a state law (AB 1825) requiring employers with 50 or more employees to offer supervisors at least two hours of mandatory training in sexual harassment prevention by Jan. 1, 2006.

The on-line course -- developed by UCOP with a vendor, Workplace Answers – can be taken on any computer with Internet access. Workplace Answers will send to UC supervisors and faculty an email with a personalized link, which directs them to the course.

Although the Laboratory and the UC campuses have sexual harassment prevention policies and proactive education programs, the new law pushes employers to take a more thorough approach in monitoring compliance. The new on-line program thus will help keep a record of who has and hasn’t been trained. The training also addresses discrimination and retaliation issues, as required by AB 1825.

The on-line course is fully interactive and customized to include Laboratory work scenarios. Each program is made up of about 200 “pages” and will not certify a “trainee” until he or she completes the entire course, designed to take at least two hours.

In addition to those who supervise in UC administrative or academic units, all faculty members – because they are likely to supervise teaching or research assistants – are subject to the mandatory training requirement.

Supervisors and faculty who received sexual harassment training since 2003 – either in person or via previous on-line programs offered by their campuses – do not have to take training again this calendar year. After Jan. 1, 2006, however, the new law requires that every supervisory employee be trained in sexual harassment prevention once every two years. New supervisors must receive training within six months of assuming supervisory duties. This is the only UC on-line training program that satisfies the requirements of the AB 1825. In-person training, such as supervisory modules that Labor and Employee Relations has conducted, is still acceptable so long as it lasted two hours.

Questions about training should be directed to Bill Elkins, the Lab’s Title IX Sexual Harassment Officer, or Sherri Harding in Human Resources, the Lab’s training representative for this program.