Everybody has biases that can influence decisions and interactions in subtle yet impactful ways. Often, we don’t recognize our own unconscious biases, but it’s likely we have personally experienced bias at work.  Do these scenarios sound familiar?  “The Invisible Voice”  In team meetings, you share innovative ideas and insights, only to have them brushed aside or attributed to someone else moments later. It’s frustrating to witness your contributions being overlooked while similar suggestions from colleagues are embraced. Despite having the same qualifications and experience, it ..read more

Imagine a meeting room filled with diverse voices, each one eager to contribute to the collective goals of the company. But beneath the surface, there are subtle obstacles ─ unconscious biases and microaggressions ─ that hinder progress without individuals even realizing it.   At companies today, where every decision counts and the competition for talent is fierce, diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) are recognized as cornerstones for success. Embracing differences and ensuring everyone is respected, appreciated and treated fairly benefits employees and companies through greater co ..read more

In today’s modern workplace, employees are scattered across different cities, states and countries, making it that much more difficult for companies to stay in compliance. But there is an answer. Taking a location-based approach to compliance training can enable your company to focus on the laws and regulations that are specific to each employee, while building a culture of inclusion, respect and raising awareness of local safety hazards.  By training employees about their individual rights, protections and responsibilities under laws specific to where they work, content becomes more rele ..read more

DoorDash’s $375,000 settlement for violating both the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and the California Online Privacy Protection Act (CalOPPA) is a cautionary tale for businesses operating in the Golden State. It underscores the need to comply with privacy regulations and ensure that the appropriate measures are in place to protect consumer data and rights.  The California Attorney General announced the settlement last month after finding that DoorDash had infringed upon the rights of consumers when selling their personally identifiable information without notice or consent in vi ..read more

In the absence of federal legislation, state legislatures continue to take the lead on privacy regulation. In 2024, new privacy laws will go into effect in Florida, Montana, Oregon, Texas and Washington. These laws give individuals more control over the collection, processing and sharing and selling of their personal data and require certain companies doing business in these states to furnish privacy notices, provide opt-out choices and limit their collection of personal information. Now is a good time for organizations to revisit their data privacy strategy to ensure they are prepared to comp ..read more

The final blog in our three-part series on workplace fears examines employee mental health concerns and its effects on organizations.  Traliant’s 2024 survey report “Fear Factors: Workplace Violence, Harassment and Mental Health,” found that 86% of survey respondents believe employers need to do more to address the mental health needs of employees in the workplace. Almost 1 in 4 respondents cited “toxic management practices” as the leading cause for poor mental health at work.   The findings reveal employees want employers to make mental health a priority to create a workplace e ..read more

Employers may be surprised to learn that employees often choose to remain silent about harassing behavior despite their intentions to foster open communications. In the second of our three-part blog series, we examine why employees can be hesitant to report harassment and the effect this has on an organization.  A lack of harassment claims shouldn’t instill confidence that a company has a harassment-free culture. It should instead prompt a review of what may be holding employees back from reporting misconduct. In a Traliant survey of more than 1,000 US employees, one-third of respondents ..read more

According to a new survey by Traliant, employees often choose to keep their workplace violence concerns private. The unspoken nature of these concerns can mislead employers, giving them a distorted view of the risks facing their workforce and organization – from mental health to productivity and retention.  In the first of a three-part blog series, we explore the effects of workplace violence threats on both sides of the employment equation. As workplace violence incidents rise, companies face increased pressure from state legislatures, OSHA and courts to take proactive measures to provid ..read more

January is an ideal time for HR professionals to review and update their policies, procedures and handbooks as many new workplace laws and regulations take effect in the New Year. However, changes in laws and regulations are not the only reason to revisit policies. Changes within your organization can also be a good reason to give your policies a second look to ensure they are still relevant to your current business situation.  The federal government, states and cities were active again in 2023 passing workplace legislation intended to protect employees in 2024. They include laws and regu ..read more

Partnering with a compliance training provider that has in-house legal expertise offers benefits to employers big and small. Most importantly, ongoing legal review of course content is necessary to make sure training is legally accurate, up-to-date and meets applicable training requirements.  Moreover, using a training provider with in-house legal professionals reduces the burden that organizations face in navigating the constantly changing legal landscape. Small businesses often have limited resources and find it impossible to monitor continually evolving legal requirements. HR professio ..read more