FIRMS PUSHED TO COMPLY SEXUAL-HARASSMENT TRAINING REQUIRED.

Byline: Eugene Tong Staff Writer

SANTA CLARITA - Human resources consultant Dan Curtin relies on a former U.S. president who almost lost his job because of improprieties with a certain White House intern to make a point when training corporate managers about proper workplace behavior and sexual-harassment law.

``I use Bill Clinton as my whipping boy,'' said Curtin, whose Los Angeles-based consulting firm Curtin & Associates has been busy ensuring that companies meet new state sexual-harassment training laws effective Sunday. ``I put up a cartoon with him on it - he's the one that made sexual harassment famous.''

California companies are racing the clock to meet the requirements of Assembly Bill 1825, which requires supervisors and managers at companies with 50 or more employees to undergo two hours of training to prevent sexual harassment every two years. The law requires initial training by the end of this year.

The sessions have to be interactive; watching a video doesn't count.

``Usually, it's a secretary who got stuck with making the arrangements,'' said Curtin, who has conducted dozens of workshops these past two months. ``They've tipped off the managers, who said, 'hey, we have to get this done.'''

The California Chamber of Commerce estimates about 1.7 million employees in the state require training under this law. There's no stiff penalty for noncompliance, though it would open companies to liability when faced with harassment charges, which could be costly.

``The actual penalty is virtually nothing,'' said Wendell Laidley, managing director of Napa-based New Media Learning, which specializes in online personnel training. ``The danger for an employer is much more dangerous than that. They could be at risk of losing affirmative defense - the right of the employer to say they've done all they could in good faith.''

That's enough to persuade most employers, and employees, to take it seriously.

``I expected heckling, but I didn't get that,'' Curtin said. ``There were serious questions. The material covers a lot about liability - that's what gets their attention.''

According to the state Department of Fair Employment and Housing, 3,572 cases of workplace sexual-harassment cases were filed in the 2003-04 fiscal year, down compared with 4,231 cases filed in 2002-03 and 4,198 cases in 2001-02.

Curtin charges between $800 and $1,000 to conduct two-hour sessions for groups of about 50. Online training materials, such as those created by Laidley's New Media Learning, can cost more than $15,000.

The William S. Hart Union High School District, the Santa Clarita Valley's second-largest employer with a staff of nearly 2,300, is training all 77 administrators with an online tutorial and exam.

The one- to two-hour program started last month covers workplace-harassment law and company policy. Employees earn a certificate upon passing a test at the end of the program, and are signed off by school district officials.

District spokeswoman Pat Willett said the Web-based test allows busy administrators to meet state requirements at their own pace, even when school's out. Officials plan to have teachers and staff undergo training next year.

``The end of the year is approaching and people are scattered all over the valley,'' she said. ``They can do it at their own time and at their own pace, as long as they pass that test. They have to get 100 percent.''

Washington Mutual began in the summer to train some 3,500 employees throughout California and beyond for the state law. So far, about 90 percent have completed the online course work, spokesman Gary Kishner said.

``There are a small number right now that are in the process of completing it,'' he said. ``By year's end, we should be at 100 percent compliance.''

Kishner said the company, which employs some 2,000 at its Northridge campus, already conducts sexual-harassment training.

``This is something that is part of our corporate culture - creating an inclusive environment for employees,'' he said. ``What this did is, it called attention to a specific part of the training we already do.''

Valencia-based drum manufacturer Remo Inc. hired an expert to conduct several training sessions for its 33 managers and supervisors. Director of Human Resources Yolanda Davis said the company, which employs 300, had to extend its annual sexual-harassment training to ensure full coverage.

``The reality is when you have a company that already has it in place, it's really not a hard job,'' she said. ``It's a matter of catching everyone.

``In the H.R. world, it quickly comes up who doesn't comply with the law. It's through constant discipline and counseling and mentoring that they can see what compliance really means. Some people, it will take them 20 years for them to stop calling people 'sweetheart.'''

Eugene Tong, [phone]

eugene.tong(at)dailynews.com