Sexual Harassment

Amidst the flurry of activity taking place before the end of the 117th U.S. Congress, the House of Representatives quietly passed the Speak Out Act on November 16, 2022, by an overwhelming majority. The bill previously passed the U.S. Senate in September and President Biden signed it into law on December 7, 2022.

On Wednesday the United States House voted to pass the Speak Out Act aimed to restore the voices of victims of sexual harassment and assault. The law technically allows employees to talk about their experiences with harassment or assault at work by invalidating nondisclosure agreements that force workers to remain silent in these cases.

The Senate approved legislation banning the practice of using clauses in employment contracts that force victims of sexual assault and harassment to pursue their cases in forced arbitration, which shields accused perpetrators.

With the development of a new online course, Kantola and Littler have embarked on a journey to take online workplace harassment prevention training to a whole new level of learning. Set against an evolving social climate, the course sensitively showcases relatable real-life interviews and authentic scenarios to make an especially effective connection to the learners.

The legal landscape around workplace harassment prevention has become progressively more complex. What was once an easy territory for multi-state employers to manage, has now become increasingly difficult to navigate—putting organizations in danger of being out of compliance and posing significant legal risks.

The killing of George Floyd, according to Byna Elliott, turned our perceptions of DEI work from a distant aspiration, into something that organizations will be, and should be, held accountable for both by employees and customers.  

Kantola Training Solutions was proud to be featured in a piece on the growing awareness of sexual harassment by KRON 4’s JR Stone.

Kantola was featured in a San Francisco Chronicle article addressing the uptick in awareness of harassment and the implications for organizations that ignore it.