SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In a recent Wall Street Journal editorial: the firing of the Louisiana State University professor for using profanity and vulgar language in class has prompted a national discussion on sexual harassment and free speech at colleges and universities. What is considered “salty” language, sexual harassment and bullying and what constitutes illegal and offensive speech and behavior? Morf Media Inc. today announced it is helping managers build the policies and provide the training required to identify and deal with offensive and illegal language and behavior. Training on the Morf Playbook™ enterprise talent development platform, now conveniently available on mobile devices and smartphones, is designed to help people recognize the signs of abuse, sexual harassment behaviors and know what to do about it.
“Harassment…it’s not just sexual anymore,” said Dr. Lynne Curry, President of The Growth Company Inc. and author of the recently released Beating the Workplace Bully, AMACOM. “Slips in ethical and legal workplace actions are making headlines every day. Further, legal action to address bullying is on the rise. Not only have legislatures in three states, California, Utah and Tennessee, developed laws banning bullying, but multiple attorneys consider bullying a violation of the good faith covenant between employers and employees. It’s important for every organization, manager and employee to be informed of their rights and responsibilities with critical training.”
“This issue goes far beyond legal, and impacts employee engagement. What employee works with full enthusiasm while harassed or bullied? How long do the victims’ witnesses remain in a workplace that tolerates unprofessional behavior?”
Lawsuits, employee turnover, lost productivity and reputation damages--even on various social sites such as Glass Door, are costing employers billions of dollars.1 Many people are under the mistaken belief that only sexual harassment is against the law. Scandalous headlines allude to sexual intrigue--cases may gain more attention but bullying behavior and violence is a key contributor to workplace dysfunction today.
The purpose of training is to cover various harassment conduct, laws, requirements and what employees can do to protect themselves and their co-workers. The objective is to provide employees with the tools and knowledge to understand the laws and regulations regarding harassment in the workplace.
Morf Playbook presents training in modules so that the user can go back and review information in a particular area as it is needed.
By the end of the Morf Playbook training, employees will have covered the following:
- Identify the words and actions that constitute harassment.
- Understand what the law says about harassment.
- Implement anti-harassment policies.
- Educate employees and develop anti-harassment policies.
- Discuss employer and employee’s rights and responsibilities.
- Address accusations of harassment.
- Apply proper mediation procedures.
- Deal with the aftermath of harassment.
The Sexual Harassment and Bullying Behavior Awareness training provides information on best practices on sensitive issues including:
- Conduct outside the office.
- Sexual orientation.
- Ongoing or formerly consensual office relationships.
- 3rd party harassment.
- Sexually charged work environment.
Ginger Bell commented on the issue: “The question is: if a co-worker is a jerk to you at work; could they be sued for it? The answer is “maybe”. Merely being a jerk to someone does not mean that they have committed harassment as the law defines that term. However, their conduct might be found to have violated a workplace policy. Treating everyone with dignity and respect is really at the heart of state and federal laws prohibiting harassment in the workplace.”
Morf Playbook includes awareness building courses on violence in the workplace, diversity, anti-bias and inclusion, sexual harassment and bullying and compliance training for industry specific requirements. Company policies and “flash” updates can be rapidly authored and delivered with feedback tools to help ensure the recipient understands new processes or communications.
Capabilities include the following:
- Built-in Rapid Authoring with Automatic Gamification
- Smart Analytics, Performance Support and Reporting Tools
- Gamified Micro Challenges
- Daily Engagement Plans Linked to Performance Support and Company Plans
- Personalized Mentoring
- Library of Expert Courses Developed by Industry Experts for Mobile Devices
- Rapid Integration with Legacy Systems
- Socially Oriented Apps, News Feeds, Notice and Job Board
- Colleague/Friend Finder
- Rapid Audio Books Creation
- DocuSign and DocuStore
- Secure, Validated Cloud
Morf Playbook secure cloud infrastructure virtually eliminates capital costs related to purchasing new technology. As a subscription-based platform as a service, Morf Playbook requires no IT administration or maintenance. Its secure cloud storage allows organizations to rapidly retrieve and review vital training documentation in seconds. It is a one stop solution for collecting and analyzing data related to measuring the effectiveness and ROI of a company’s compliance and ethics programs. It is a complete stand-alone system, and can also be rapidly integrated into legacy systems.
To learn more about Morf Playbook, please visit morfmedia.com and contact Heidi Deishl @ Heidi.deishl@morfmedia.com.
1. 20% of respondents to a recent HuffPost/YouGov poll reported they had been sexually harassed at work. 27% of respondents to a Workplace Bullying Institute poll responded they have current or past experience with abusive conduct at work. According to the EEOC, workplace harassment charges of all types are up 31% over the pre- recession low in 2005
About Morf Media, Inc.
Morf Media, Inc. is shaping the future of enterprise talent development and compliance training with Morf Playbook™. The mobile platform with social feedback performance support tools provide one-to-one leadership, development, skill building and training on a smart phone or PC. Morf Playbook delivers interactive courses using a variety of media, including audiobooks and video. Its patented mobile framework offers an engaging way to empower people to perform at their best while providing individuals, team leaders and managers with reporting, metrics and communication tools to optimize talent and performance. Founded in 2013 by a seasoned management team, the company is based in San Francisco with offices in the Silicon Valley. For more information about Morf Media, please visit: http://www.morfmedia.com.
