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| The Training and Development Solutions staff and trainers extend our very best wishes to all for a happy holiday season! Our offices will be closed from December 23, 2016, through January 2, 2017, and will reopen on January 3, 2017. _________________________________________________________ |
| California Adopts New 2016 Harassment-Discrimination Prevention Policy Requirements |
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|  The California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) has adopted new regulations regarding the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), effective as of April 1, 2016. The DFEH issued a summary of the new employment regulations, including the following important addition: Written Policy Requirements California employers with five or more employees have an affirmative duty to take "reasonable" steps to prevent and correct discrimination and harassment. Under the new regulations, employers must create detailed written policies for preventing harassment, discrimination, and retaliation. Policy requirements include:
- Listing of all protected groups under the FEHA;
- Allowance for employees to report to someone other than a direct supervisor;
- Instructing supervisors to report all complaints;
- A statement that all complaints will be followed by a fair, complete and timely investigation;
- A statement that remedial action will be taken if any misconduct is found.
Under the new regulations, an employer must distribute its prevention policies to all current and future employees. If 10% or more of the workers in a given location speak a language other than English, an employer must also translate its policies into those alternative languages. Other areas addressed as part of the new employment regulations include:
- Definitions Regarding Sex and Gender: Specific definitions are provided for gender expression, gender identity, sex, sex stereotype and transgender persons.
- Reasonable Accommodations: An individualized assessment is required to determine the need for accommodation.
- Pregnancy: Harassment as it applies to an employee or applicant due to pregnancy or perceived pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or any related medical condition is defined; and eligibility for up to four months of leave per pregnancy is outlined.
- Religious Discrimination: The duty to accommodate an individual's religion is clarified.
- Anti-Bullying Training: Training requirements for California employers with fifty or more employees have been added, including investigation of complaints, duty to report, and elements and effects of abusive conduct.
Click here for a full summary of the new additions to the DFEH regulations. For more extensive information on California laws prohibiting discrimination in the workplace, visit the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) employment webpage. |
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| "Communication provides the legs for bias, carrying it from person to person, from generation to generation. Eventually, however, communication will be the way to end discrimination." John N. Bailey ABC, Exec. Director, International Association of Business Communicators |
| Diversity Enhances Creativity |
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|  Decades of research by organizational scientists, psychologists, sociologists, economists and demographers show that socially diverse groups (that is, those with a diversity of race, ethnicity, gender and sexual orientation) are more innovative than homogeneous groups.
It seems obvious that a group of people with diverse individual expertise would be better than a homogeneous group at solving complex, nonroutine problems. It is less obvious that social diversity should work in the same way - yet the science shows that it does. This is not only because people with different backgrounds bring new information, but also because interacting with individuals who are different forces group members to prepare better, to anticipate alternative viewpoints and to expect that reaching consensus will take effort. Diversity enhances creativity. It encourages the search for novel information and perspectives, leading to better decision making and problem solving. Being around people who are different from us makes us more creative, more diligent and harder-working. Excerpted from "How Diversity Makes Us Smarter" by Katherine W. Phillips, Paul Calello Professor of Leadership and Ethics and Senior Vice Dean at Columbia Business School. Read Full Article |
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| "Just as a child is born without fear, so it is born without prejudice. Prejudice, like fear, is acquired." Marie Killea Author, Activist, and Lobbyist Co-founder, National United Cerebral Palsy Foundation |
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| Training and Development Solutions Chabot-Las Positas Community College District 7600 Dublin Blvd., Suite 102 ● Dublin, CA 94568 925.249.9372 ● www.tdsolutions.org |
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| Perceptive Leadership |
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| Perceptive leaders have six traits or talents that can make all the difference when it comes to creating a workplace where things get done.
- Self-awareness: Leadership starts and ends with inner strength, which requires an intimate knowledge of one's strengths, development areas, values and priorities, motivations, limitations, interests and goals.
- Active listening: To communicate and influence effectively, one has to be an active listener first; listen to understand, not respond.
- Empathy: In addition to hearing others' perspectives, it is necessary to step into their shoes to understand it from their viewpoint.
- Optimism: Leaders are role models and set the tone for preferred behaviors, norms and standards for the team.
- Strategic thinking: Effective leadership entails proactive strategic thinking that is aligned with business goals and objectives.
- Focus/discipline: Understanding when and how to focus energies on the right things at the right time and to maximize individual and team productivity, performance and effectiveness is essential.
A perceptive leader shows proactive and sensitive insight to relationships and situations; developing perceptive leaders can be an asset for any organization. Excerpted from "Are You a Perceptive Leader?" by Rita Balian Allen, president of Rita B. Allen Associates. Read Full Article |
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| About Training and Development Solutions |
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| Training and Development Solutions at Chabot-Las Positas Community College District delivers employee training, consulting and related support services to public and private sector organizations. We provide customized, on-site learning solutions that are innovative, practical and cost-effective, including:
- Leadership development
- Management and supervisory training
- Skill building programs
- Compliance training
- Curriculum development
For more information about how Training and Development Solutions can help your organization meet current and future workforce challenges, call MariAnn Fisher at 925.249.9372, email mfisher@clpccd.org, or visit the Training and Development Solutions website. |
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