Anti-Harassment, Civility,
Inclusion & Diversity

Today’s Healthy Workplace Defined

You’ve heard it countless times: “People don’t leave jobs—they leave toxic workplaces.” Between a spike in harassment claims nationwide and a generational shift in the labor force, fostering a healthy workplace is critical to your organization’s culture and bottom line now more than ever. In fact, workplace toxicity is costing employers millions per year in turnover, lost productivity, and staggering legal fees.

With so much at stake, you want to be sure your attention and training efforts are centered on the elements key to a thriving workplace. Your organization’s success hinges on a keen understanding and proactive approach to managing the following four issues:

Anti-Harassment

Harassment is defined as unwelcome conduct based on an individual’s protected class (such as race, age, religion, gender, national origin or disability) that is severe or pervasive enough to change the conditions of employment and create a hostile work environment.

Civility

Civility reflects a general concern for others and speaks to behaviors that help to preserve mutual respect in the workplace.

Inclusion

Inclusion suggests all employees are treated fairly and have equal access to opportunities and resources, allowing them to contribute fully to the organization’s success.

Diversity &
Unconscious Bias

Diversity means your workforce makeup is reflective of the society in which it exists and operates; it incorporates all the elements that make individuals unique in various ways such as gender, race, age, family status, and socio-economic status.

Cultivating a Winning Culture: Beyond the Buzzwords

Having a cursory understanding of the issues impacting the health of a modern workplace simply isn’t enough. In fact, failure to properly address any one of the aforementioned components not only affects talent acquisition and retention, but can also yield significant legal and cultural fallout. The challenge facing most businesses today is striking the appropriate balance between complying with the law and meeting the unique needs and values of today’s labor force.

For example, if you invest all of your time and resources in solely combating harassment—an issue that cost employers half a billion dollars in punitive damages last year alone—you may be neglecting equally important elements like inclusion and diversity, which are greatly valued by Millennial and Gen Z employees, cohorts who now represent nearly 40% of today’s workforce. Similarly, incivility is often overlooked or mishandled simply because it’s harder to qualify and therefore deemed a less actionable offense. But there’s no denying its significance in the workplace. In 2018, nearly 50% of employees deliberately spent less time at work due to matters of civility and lack of respect, while an additional 80% admitted feeling less committed to their organization for the same reason.

Sexual harassment charges filed with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission rose

in 2018.

Ethnically diverse
companies are

more likely to yield
higher revenue.

In negative workplaces,

of workers reported that their performance declined.

Mastering Compliance and Comfort with Expert Training

So how do you simultaneously prioritize legal compliance and employee engagement in a healthy environment? Enlist the help of experts who specialize in creating healthy and compliant workplaces.

For over 100 years, MidAtlantic Employers’ Association (MEA) has been regarded as the region’s authority on delivering effective and customized training designed to optimize workplace success among industries large and small. Unlike most HR services providers, MEA doesn’t believe in pre-canned, one-size-fits-all solutions. Instead, our team of legal and training specialists works exclusively with your organization to assess its unique challenges, needs, and goals at all levels of hierarchy, and provides relevant training tailored to the ever-changing workforce landscape.

MEA’s experts are well versed in all nuanced laws and policies that impact your company’s health and bottom line. Let MEA guide you and your workplace leaders in creating an environment built on trust, respect, and shared commitment to organizational success.

Diversity & Inclusion Training Offerings

Raising the Bar for Workplace Conduct | 60-90 Minute Workshop Workshop
Unconscious Bias in Employment | 1.5 to 2-Hour Workshop
Diversity, Inclusion, and Civility in the Workplace | 3-Hour Workshop
Spectra Diversity — Managing Diversity and Inclusion Training | 6-Hour In-Person or Five, 1-Hour Virtual Modules
Anti-Harassment Training
The HR Pro’s Guide to D&I: A Primer on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Workplace | Two 2-Hour Trainings

Other D&I Offerings

Spectra Diversity Assessment

The Spectra Assessment is the only statistically validated dual D&I assessment tool that provides data at both an individual and organizational (or team) level. It is particularly useful as an organization-wide or team-based benchmark tool.

Spectra Questions are Statistically Validated — Clear and meaningful questions can help spot trends, inconsistencies, data patterns and all sorts of useful information about an organization, a team, or an individual. Questions that can be interpreted multiple ways, that use unfamiliar words or that are ambiguous can lead to false assumptions. “Validity” is a term that psychologists use to describe the relationship between an answer and some measure of the true score. The questions included in the Spectra Assessment have been statistically validated.
The Spectra Assessment Provides Reliable and Actionable Data — Studies support the concept that self-assessments are a valid and reliable means of measurement that can contribute to higher achievement and improved behavior. If you measure it, it will improve.

D&I Employment Policy Review

An in-depth examination of future and existing policies for potential points of exclusion including unconscious bias. Includes feedback from MEA attorney or HR professional outlining policy provisions that when applied, eliminates room for unconscious bias based on race, gender or sexual orientation.

Employer policies set the standard and provide the framework for how the company will treat employees and how managers and employees will treat each other.
This review involves examining policies for potential points of exclusion or unconscious bias.
Receive feedback from MEA attorney or HR professional outlining policy provisions that, when applied, may allow room for unconscious bias based on race, gender, or sexual orientation.
When used before implementing a policy, this review gives employers the opportunity to address and eliminate these points of potential bias before the policy goes into effect.
When used for an existing policy, this review gives employers the opportunity to address and eliminate policy gaps that may have allowed for unconscious bias in the past.

One-on-One Virtual Disciplinary Coaching with an MEA Attorney

Typically used as part of disciplinary action when an employee has violated the employer’s anti-harassment or anti-discrimination policies.
Session lasts 45 to 60 minutes, currently delivered via Zoom or similar platform.
Customized to address disciplinary issues pertaining to anti-harassment, anti-discrimination, or other exclusionary workplace conduct. Oftentimes, the attorney incorporates elements of the anti-harassment training into the session.
Delivered by an MEA attorney.
Coaching report (brief update on how the session went) delivered to employer after the session, to assist with record keeping.

Diversity & Inclusion: More than Buzzwords Download

Resources

As an HR industry leader providing specialized training and legal services to organizations of all sizes, MEA always has its finger on the pulse of modern workplace challenges and solutions. Its team of experts has produced extensive resource guides designed to help businesses remain compliant and culturally responsive.

Contact Us

Establishing a healthy and compliant work environment in today’s climate is no small feat. Between navigating a diverse and ever-changing workforce landscape and upholding a host of nuanced legal policies, you can’t afford to remain idle. Contact MEA today and learn how our team of experts can help your organization build a winning culture, avoid legal claims, and protect its bottom line.

Anti-Harassment, Civility, Inclusion & Diversity