For devotees of Microsoft Office, it is almost time for our triennial event: the unveiling of new versions of Excel, Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, and the rest of our “can’t work without ‘em” office apps.

Except…this year is different.  In 2007, 2010, 2013, and 2016 we watched as the folks in Redmond released the new version of Microsoft Office, and, depending on your level of enthusiasm for the new features, we either rushed out to upgrade or decided to wait another three years.  What makes Office 2019 different is two things:

There aren’t very many new features, and

You probably already have them (if you use Office 365)

You see, back in 2015 Microsoft decided to be more like popular cloud-based apps such as Salesforce or Google Apps by updating their apps on a more regular basis.  For Windows 10 this meant monthly security updates and semi-annual feature updates.  For Microsoft Office, this meant that they would push hard to encourage people to use their subscription-based Office 365 product, and that they would reward their Office 365 customers with monthly updates.

So when Excel 2016 for example was officially released in September 2015, it was just the first version that Office 365 subscribers would see.  Since then there have been 30 updates (almost but not quite monthly), which have added new features.  Some of the updates were small and unnoticed by most people.  Some were only useful to power users or people with touch screens.  A few were more broadly valuable, including improved abilities to share and co-edit spreadsheets, or the ability to add 3D models and SVG graphics.

If, however, you do not get your Office through Office 365, then your version of Excel 2016 is that same version that was released three years ago, without any of the intervening feature updates.

In October Microsoft is expected to officially take the latest versions of Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Access, along with all the feature updates that Office 365 users have already received, and call it Office 2019.  So if you are an Office 365 user, you’ll see very little difference.

If you are NOT an Office 365 user, and your organization does plan to move from the “traditional” version of Excel 2016 to 2019, here are some of the new features you can look out for:

Improved graphics:  Excel (and other Office apps) now support SVG image files, which can be scaled to any size without looking fuzzy, as well as 3D models.  The 3D models option sounds like something engineers might use, but really it’s great for clipart – you can grab a 3D model from Microsoft’s library at Remix3D.com and then tilt or rotate it to just the right angle to fit your need.

Ink & Stylus support:  On computers with a touchscreen or stylus you can draw freehand directly on your spreadsheet (or document in Word) using a variety of virtual pens and pencils.  You can convert your sketches to shapes if needed, and your customized pens will show up in any Office app.

Improved sharing and co-authoring:  It’s now very easy to share a spreadsheet from inside Microsoft Excel, which can include the ability to allow someone else to co-edit the spreadsheet with you at the same time.  This requires a cloud storage solution such as Microsoft’s OneDrive, SharePoint, Groups, or Teams, but can also work with some third-party solutions such as Dropbox.

New Charts, Functions, and Features: There are a handful of new charts and functions, the most useful of which might be the Stock Quote function.  A few new features can be handy, including the autosave feature for cloud-hosted files, and the Microsoft Translator tool to work with different languages.

Overall there is no big “wow” feature added to Excel this time, just lots of smaller but solid new tools and features that help to improve the world’s most popular number-crunching app.

For an overview of how to use all the new features found in Excel 2019, check out the “What’s New in Excel 2019” training course from Bigger Brains, available now in Go1 Premium. Contact Go1 today to get started!

Chip Reaves is the founder of Bigger Brains, an award-winning eLearning company, and has been an IT consultant for 30+ years. Formerly the founder of the worldwide Computer Troubleshooters franchise, Chip has been named one of the top 150 most influential people in small business IT and is a frequent speaker and contributor on Office 365 and Microsoft topics.

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One of the most significant benefits of earning a first aid certificate is you can use it virtually anywhere. Whether at home, at work, or out in public, there’s always a need for first aid skills when someone sustains an injury or becomes ill.

In high-risk work environments, such as chemical processing, manufacturing, and construction, injuries are common, thereby making first aid training indispensable. However, a first aid certification is equally valuable for other professionals, such as daycare providers, nursing home employees, school bus drivers, babysitters, coaches, teachers, and even office workers. 

With a first aid certification, you have the chance to make a difference, dramatically reducing the risk of permanent injury and perhaps even saving someone’s life. In fact, a recent report released by St John’s Ambulance found that around 140,000 people die each year from incidents where first aid could have potentially saved their lives.

So, we’ve decided to dig deeper into the topic, examining how long first aid certificates last. We'll also explain the different kinds of first aid certificates and what they entail.

Before we go into further detail, here’s a quick summary. 

For starters, earning a first aid certificate means you can help other people —  and even animals — who are in need. Unfortunately, more than 140,000 people die each year from incidents where basic first aid knowledge could have been life-saving, underscoring how critical first aid training is. 

Although the exact topics covered depend on the type of course you take, for the most part, a first aid certification will teach you how to respond appropriately to cuts, burns, allergic reactions, and heart attacks while waiting for first responders to show up on the scene. You should also learn how to administer CPR and use an automated external defibrillator (AED).

That’s not all, as the American Red Cross suggests that a high-quality first aid course should teach you how to respond to the following situations: 

They add to this, explaining that “when you understand first aid, you'll gain the ability to help those in need…you'll learn how to respond to specific situations, which will help you care for people in crisis as they wait for medical professionals to arrive. This gives them the best opportunity for a positive outcome – and gives you the opportunity to change someone's life for the better.”

Although multiple organisations provide first aid training via in-person classes, these days, you can also learn everything you need to know to earn your first aid certification online. You can also gain first aid certifications through a mixture of online learning and in-person instruction, thanks to blended learning. 

To summarise, having your first aid certificate allows you to take the correct course of action to yield a positive outcome in an emergency. Even seemingly simple injuries can quickly turn deadly. Without someone around who knows how to respond, an incident can swiftly escalate into a fatality. Therefore, basic first aid knowledge is an essential and potentially life-saving skill. 

In general, there are four types of first aid certification. These are: 

As the name suggests, this is the everyday variety of first aid that most non-medical professionals would require. 

Healthline Australia explains that this certification typically teaches the 'DRSABCD' first aid method. To remember this method, think Doctors ABCD. 

DRSABCD stands for: danger, response, send for help, airway, breathing, CPR, and defibrillation. This acronym is a checklist of the steps you should take if someone requires first aid 

According to Healthline Australia, you should take the following steps when following the DRSABCD first aid method: 

Danger: Check the area for any immediate danger. Do not put yourself or others at risk. 

Response: Look for a response from the patient — loudly ask their name, squeeze their shoulder, etc.

Send for help: If there is no response, call emergency services or get someone else to. Never leave the patient unattended. 

Airway: Check if the patient’s mouth and throat are obstructed. If something is obstructing their airway, roll the patient onto their side and clear the airway.

Breathing: Check if the person is breathing abnormally or not breathing at all after 10 seconds.

CPR: Start CPR - 30 chest compressions followed by two breaths. Continue CPR until the patient starts breathing or until help arrives.

Defibrillation: As soon as possible, attach an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) to the patient and follow the voice prompts.

For a more detailed insight into this method, see St John’s Ambulance’s DRSABCD Action Plan Fact Sheet. 

This knowledge is vital, as one survey found that in the event of a child choking, 53% of parents would try to get the object out using their fingers. However, placing fingers into a child’s throat can cause further damage. Additionally, a 2009 survey found that 82% of UK parents with young children would not know how to respond if their child started choking, was burned, or even stopped breathing.

An Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS) first aid certification teaches the most up-to-date CPR technique. ACLS certification targets people in the medical field, including physicians, nurses, paramedics, and respiratory therapists.

According to the American Heart Association, an ACLS certification is most suitable for “healthcare professionals who either direct or participate in the management of cardiopulmonary arrest or other cardiovascular emergencies and for personnel in emergency response.” 

Healthcare professionals who help deliver babies require a Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP) certification. There are two options to gain this certification: self-paced online training and in-person classes taught by an expert instructor.

The American Academy of Pediatrics explains that an NPR certification “conveys an evidence-based approach to care of the newborn at birth and facilitates effective team-based care for healthcare professionals who care for newborns at the time of delivery. NRP utilises a blended learning approach, which includes online testing and hands-on case-based simulation/debriefing that focus on critical leadership, communication, and teamwork skills.​​”

PALS stands for Pediatric Advanced Life Support. This first aid certification is for medical personnel and healthcare professionals who work with pediatric emergencies.

The American Heart Association notes that: “PALS is geared towards healthcare providers who respond to emergencies in infants and children and for personnel in emergency response, emergency medicine, intensive care and critical care units. Upon successful completion of the course, students receive a course completion card, valid for two years.”

How long does a first aid certificate last?

Depending on the type of qualification, your first aid certificate will be valid for different lengths of time. Most of the time, a first aid certificate is valid for two to three years. However, it pays to be aware and double-check how long your specific certification lasts.

ACLS: An Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS) certification usually takes one day to complete and requires renewal after two years.

Basic First Aid and CPR: A basic online first aid training certification takes roughly an hour to finish. This certificate lasts for three years.

NRP: As a self-paced program, there’s no completion time. An NRP certification lasts for two years.

PALS: Most PALs certification courses take approximately two days to complete. In two years, you’ll need to renew your PALS status.

The benefits of first aid certification are manifold, ranging from saving lives to increasing patient comfort and encouraging healthy living. 

Despite this, the Red Cross found in 2017 that fewer than 5% of Australians have first aid training —  one of the lowest first aid training rates in the world. As a result, when faced with an emergency 44% of Australians said they panicked, while 46% didn’t know what to do. 

Accordingly, a recent study found that 88% of Australians believe first aid training should be compulsory in high school. Similarly, 70% support teaching first aid as part of the driver’s license application process.

When completing online first aid training, a board-certified doctor, medical professional, or certified instructor will help develop every course. Depending on which certification you complete, the developer may also present the training.

Something else to consider is when you complete a first aid certification online from a reputable platform, you can retake your test as often as needed. Many courses also include animations or models that make learning more engaging and enjoyable.

To understand how valuable a first aid certification is, it's worth reading a few of the millions of stories involving real-life first aid heroes who put their knowledge and skills to work.

As the Seton Blog puts it: “many fatalities resulting from accidents and emergency situations result from lack of immediate medical treatment. First aid doesn’t just facilitate recovery. It helps save lives.”

Online first aid certification with Go1 

Hopefully, you will never have to use your first aid skills. However, knowing you have these skills should an emergency occur can offer tremendous peace of mind. 

As such, Go1 offers a massive library of courses to help you earn your first aid certification, ranging from this course on basic first aid to this one on first aid for medical emergencies and many, many more.

To access these courses and more, you can book a demo today to find out how Go1 can help your team’s learning needs. Or, subscribe to the Go1 newsletter to stay on top of all the latest L&D trends. 

You might be wondering, 'how long is a first aid certificate valid for?'. We've created this guide to explain the different types of first aid certificates and how long they last.

How long do first aid certificates last?

We know that strong employee training and development is key to a company’s success and growth.

However, when a business expands its operations across multiple countries, maintaining consistent training standards can be challenging.

With global teams, you need to have an effective global training strategy, to make sure the learning needs of your employees are consistent and in line with the company’s specific needs. This is why it’s a good idea to standardise employee learning and development through consistent global training.

How can this be achieved? By investing in one training provider, instead of various learning tools and courses across the market.

These days, technology has made this a whole lot easier for employers, allowing training to be effectively coordinated and deployed for global teams. Let’s look at this now.

When we refer to ‘global training’ it’s likely that your company’s training content and strategies have been created for a diverse audience, rather than a small and specific demographic of workers.

After all, your learners probably speak different languages, come from different cultures, and live in different time zones.

eLearning professional Nikos Andriotis, says that when designing training materials for a global workforce, it’s important to make sure the content and development strategies are “attuned to address the learning needs of all learners.”

“This is the point where issues arise – designing effective training and development approaches for a diverse workforce,” he says.

Andriotis believes that the first thing you need to do is implement one learning approach for all topics that will apply to all regions. This means your course delivery and design will follow one standard method – online learning, for example. Moreover, all courses will use one language and will all have the same content.

“This approach makes content creation easier and less costly because a team from global headquarters can take care of the entire training process,” Andriotis explains.

The benefits of consistent global training

Companies that employ a multinational workforce need global training and development strategies to be an integral part of the business.

One of the key benefits of consistent global training is that it helps employers to build up and engage with a solid talent pool that stretches right across the world. Implementing a global training strategy also allows organisations to address the key development needs of the business while still remaining sensitive to the specific learning needs and challenges of the local markets.

And with the same training program in place worldwide, you can be sure that your company is achieving consistent standards in management, service, customer experience, and employee development.

Susan Bowles, Director of Client Strategies for Local Concept, has helped hundreds of clients launch global initiatives smoothly.

“Developing training for global audiences should not be painful. It should be a smooth process,” she says.

“A global training initiative can be developed smoothly and successfully with the right information, good planning, smart resourcing, and making informed decisions.”

Using online learning for global training

As said above, using one learning approach will greatly help to simplify course delivery and design for a global workforce. And online training is a great example of this.

“When it comes to global training and development strategies, an LMS solves issues on location, time, and even language,” Andriotis says.

Using an LMS such as the Go1 platform will help you save huge amounts on employee training costs, moving all your learning content online instead of spending a fortune on different trainers, venue hires, catering and transport worldwide.

If you’ve recently expanded your company’s operations across multiple countries, and are looking for consistent training for your global workforce, take a look at Go1’s online training courses today.

For more insights, subscribe to the Go1 newsletter to stay on top of all the latest L&D trends. Or, you can book a demo today to find out how Go1 can help with your team’s learning needs.

Staff training is one of the most important aspects of running a business. Learn how to effectively train your global workforce using e-learning!

How to achieve consistent global training

When it comes to online versus classroom training, it is important to recognize each has a unique environment. There are many additional differences you should know before you select the right option for your organization and employees. As far as which learning opportunity is better, they both have advantages and disadvantages although the consensus among businesses is that e-learning has a competitive edge.

Most people know what to expect from in-person training, whereas that is not always the case with individuals who participate in e-learning. After all, the experience of a classroom setting starts in preschool. Especially if your company has never offered online training, you can anticipate your employees having a significant number of questions. The best way to prepare them for e-learning and to help them feel excited about the online opportunity is to put together information and instructions that address their questions and concerns.

If you have a large organization, consider holding an orientation for new hires and existing employees to go over the benefits of taking online training courses. At that time, you can also discuss the required technology, provide examples of the topics available, give them information on resources they can turn to for support, and so on.

Another difference between classroom and online training has to do with support. People who train in a classroom setting have someone they can turn to immediately when they need help. With online courses, your employees may have to wait a few days for support. As an example, if you have workers using e-learning at home, and they complete a course on Friday, they would need to wait until Monday to get answers or assistance with a problem.

You can address this issue in two ways. First, make sure someone on your leadership team staffs an on-call support line. Second, choose a method of e-learning on a platform that includes support as part of the overall pricing structure. The same goes for receiving feedback. You need a well-designed online training source that includes instructor feedback or provides reporting to the participant’s manager.

Compared to a classroom environment, online learning is more student-driven. In other words, people who take courses online as a way of developing or honing skills and knowledge want to learn. Before taking the e-learning route, it would help to conduct an analysis of each department within your organization to identify the level of interest and needs. Make sure you choose workers who are willing to better themselves and their careers for online training.

Between the two options, online training requires more self-discipline from participants. Although most courses take an hour or less to complete, your employees must still manage their time correctly. If you have a staff eager to learn and willing to dedicate a portion of their day to learning, online training is an outstanding option.

On the other hand, if the people within your organization you want to put through training tend to procrastinate or show zero interest, a classroom setting might be the better choice. Of course, if your organization consists of both types of employees, you could develop a program that includes classroom and online training.

When providing employees with in-person training, most companies cram as much information as possible into a single session. Although some participants will sail through with no problem, others may feel overloaded with details, making it difficult if not impossible to digest the training material.

With online training, you can select one or two courses at a time, giving your staff time to absorb the lesson before moving on. Because the top e-learning platform has many training courses lasting no more than an hour on average, they work great for everyone, including those with short attention spans.

Between home and work, people have little extra time. For that reason, they look for ways to make life more convenient. When using classroom training alone, you could run into two problems First, by taking your employees away from their work responsibilities, they could become even more stressed. Second, because classroom style education typically occurs during business hours, it could impact your revenues.

When you use the online delivery method, your employees could complete the required courses from anywhere and at any time. You would pay them for going through training off the clock. The next business day, they would return to work with improved knowledge and skill. Without worrying about training, they could focus better on their jobs.

Many people think classroom training is better for collaboration since a group of participants can go through the same session at the same time. However, you can coordinate online courses for groups as well as individuals. For instance, if the entire human resource department needs compliance training, you could have the group complete the courses together in a classroom-type setting.

Offering both options ensures your entire staff receives the training required to work more efficiently while preparing themselves for a more rewarding career. With classroom and online courses, you offer your employees valuable and practical training they can apply to the work they perform.

As the demand for online training courses continues to increase, you will find an abundance of available services. However, not all offer the same calibre of material as Go1. Not only do we have tons of articles and videos on virtually every topic imaginable, but we also keep our pricing competitive. For your online training needs, we offer incredible solutions for employees on all levels.

Which is better? Online or classroom training. Why?

For Go1, partnering with the best content creators in the world is vital as we strive to provide our customers with the highest quality training content available in the market. That’s why we’re pleased to announce the launch of a brand new partnership with Jenison at DevLearn 2018.

Held annually in Las Vegas, DevLearn sees passionate, like-minded professionals explore the question of what’s next for learning and technology, which why it’s the perfect setting to launch our latest partnership.

With over 23 years’ experience in the marketplace, Jenison has a comprehensive catalogue of over 130 interactive and in-depth eLearning courses covering a range of topics including Leadership, Management & Performance, Finance, Customer Service, Sales and Presentation Skills and Coaching as well as Microsoft Office for 2010, 2013 and Windows 10.

This new partnership follows a successful arrangement with Jenison’s sister company, MicroLearn, a new and disruptive company taking the eLearning world by storm.

Launched at Learning Technologies conference in 2017, MicroLearn delivers top-class microlearning resources to an impressive range of organsiations across different sectors and has been a Go1 partner since May 2018.

Focusing on its customers and developing content that’s engaging, informative and responsive, MicroLearn’s off-the-shelf library has grown rapidly to over 200 eye-catching and cost-effective resources.

The most recent additions, now available through Go1, include Right to Work, Whistleblowing, Workplace Bullying, Bribery & Corruption, Finance for Non-Financial Managers, Insider Trading and Payment Card Industry, Data Security Standard (PCI DSS).

To learn more about how MicroLearn creates its popular bite-sized resources, check out it’s whiteboard-style showreel!

As learning is an intrinsic part of our working life, we all need to demonstrate value and productivity to our organisation. Through Go1’s Premium Subscription -- now offering Jenison and MicroLearn -- learners can access one of the most comprehensive sets of personal development resources in the eLearning market.

Go1 and Jenison announce new partnership at DevLearn 2018

When you rely on a Learning Management System available on the best platform, you and your staff have access to thousands of incredible online courses. Keep in mind that the “best” courses vary from one organization to another based on specific goals and objectives. However, with training developed by industry experts, employees on all levels benefit.


User Pacing – Whether your employees take advantage of e-learning at home or while on the job, they should have the opportunity to work at a comfortable pace. The goal is to make online courses fun and enjoyable, not something your teams dread.

Multimedia – Although an excellent platform offers a ton of written courses, the best ones include multimedia. Because most people are visual, it is imperative to look at platforms with videos, podcasts, and so on.

Easy Navigation – Users need easy-to-navigate online training courses. You do not want them spending a significant amount of time trying to figure a system out, instead of diving right in to gaining a new skill or enhancing one they already possess.

Levels of Learning – The best online training should cover different skill levels. For example, someone trying to become a better communicator could select from beginner to advanced courses based on their current ability and goals.

Advanced Technology – Along with advanced technology, an LMS worth using should feature easy-to-use modules. An excellent e-learning platform has reliable and fully supported technologies. That way, if a user runs into an issue, he or she has someone to turn to for help immediately.

Learning Environment – Your company’s work environment may not be conducive to learning, even for a staff eager to learn. Although there are many excellent courses, “Facilitate and Promote Learning” is one of the best. This course introduces a conceptual framework for creating an environment that makes it easy for your employees to tackle problems, identify trusted sources, and integrate the information provided into their job responsibilities.

Leadership – Training courses on leadership are also among the best. Whether you have leaders who need to become more effective in their roles or individuals within your organization interested in joining your leadership team, it is essential to find the appropriate level of learning to help either succeed. For example, if an employee wants to gain insight into what it takes to be a leader, you might consider an online course like “Introduction to Leadership.”

Success in Project Management – With an increasing demand for skilled project managers, this is another hot topic. For any of your employees who currently work in this role and want to improve on knowledge and skills, a training course like “Project Management: Learn to be Successful with Less Effort” is ideal. A course such as this along with similar online training helps project managers become better problem solvers.

Communication – For your organization to run like a “well-oiled machine,” employees on all levels must possess excellent communication skills. With the right courses, they will learn more effective ways of listening and speaking.

Software Use and Computer Programming – Instead of your employees trying to decipher information provided in handbooks, they can complete different courses for both software use and computer programming. As with other topics, these cover all levels from beginner to advanced.

Focus – Inadequate focus has become a major issue for a lot of businesses. Between responsibilities at home and work, many employees struggle to complete projects on time, within scope, and according to the budget. Thanks to online training courses that address this problem, things turn around quickly.

Organization – Organization is another problem for many industries. With e-learning, everyone in your company can become more organized, which promotes productive and improves performance.

Time Management – Especially for busy and growing companies, good time management skills are hard to come by. You can find online training courses developed by multiple experts who specialize in learning or honing time management skills.

Sustainability – Today, a growing number of businesses aim to adopt more sustainable solutions. With courses on sustainability, this is no problem.

Web Design – A good web design attracts both prospects and existing customers. It also makes navigating the site a breeze. For all levels of design, a top LMS platform offers an abundance of courses on this topic.

Another reason for choosing the best online courses is that most are no more than one hour long. That means your employees can use e-learning while on the job without impacting productivity. If you worry about that, you can always offer an incentive for your staff to work on courses at home.

Even the price of the best online training is minimal. As a cost-effective method of learning, you can offer your entire company endless possibilities without adversely affecting the bottom line. When you consider all the benefits that online courses provide, you can see this is the best way to promote growth within your organization.

Remember, the popular training courses that fall under the top seven categories are the most effective. At Go1, we have thousands of options for learning, all dedicated to creating a positive work environment and supporting business growth.

What are the best online courses and what makes them great?

As a business owner, you need to provide your employees with the best training possible. When implementing a program, it is essential that you focus on the most critical courses, including sexual harassment.

Considering the increasing number of sexual harassment incidents that occur in the workplace, make this portion of your training all-inclusive. In other words, the training you provide should cover all aspects of this problem. With the right training, your entire staff will know how to prevent sexual harassment incidents, recognize when something is wrong, and report the issue to the appropriate authority.

Even with the best of intentions, it is common for businesses to overlook something when formulating a sexual harassment training program. Due to the severity of this problem, you cannot afford to leave anything out. With the information provided, you can analyze your current program or one you plan to launch to ensure nothing is missing. Not only does that protect your employees, but your business as well.

Q – Why is a sexual harassment training program so critical?

A – For one thing, this training protects all your employees. With the right courses, everyone in your organization has the same information as to what sexual harassment is and is not. They also understand the consequences of such behavior or failing to report an incident. Along with your staff, a training program protects your company from becoming the target of a lawsuit should someone target a worker.

Q – Is sexual harassment training meant for everyone?

A – Although every person in your organization should go through sexual harassment training, there are courses explicitly developed for management level employees. After all, in a position of authority, managers have a greater responsibility to their teams and the company as a whole.

Q – Does sexual harassment training make a difference?

A – Yes, it does. According to a 2015 report published by the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), there were more than 6,800 reports of sexual harassment in that year alone. As a result of those reports, victims filed over 1,800 charges, which ended up costing companies $46 million in settlements.

Q – What other risks are there to not having an all-inclusive sexual harassment training program?

A – Many victims of sexual harassment struggle mentally or physically, or both. Also, once word leaks about an incident, there is significant risk of damage to your brand. After working hard to build a thriving business, the last thing you want is to see it destroyed because of someone’s poor decision.

Q – Does training help prevent cases of sexual harassment?

A – It does but only if your program covers all the critical components. Along with making courses on this subject mandatory for everyone, you need to implement a system for monitoring and analysis. For an effective training program, ask your staff for feedback about the topics included. Evaluating the reactions of your employees gives you tremendous insight as to whether the current training program is enough or if you need to modify it.

Q – Can sexual harassment training prevent company liability?

A – Although a business may not be off the hook entirely if an incident of sexual harassment occurs, several cases that made it to the Supreme Court could help it avoid liability. If a company can prove to the court that it took all preventative measures, including mandatory sexual harassment training, the court may find in its favor.

Q – Is sexual harassment training required by law?

A – It depends on the location of your company. Businesses in Connecticut and California with 50 employees or more must provide this type of training. In the state of Maine, any business with more than 15 employees has to provide sexual harassment training to everyone brought onboard within the first 12 months of hire. When developing a training program, make sure you check the mandates for your specific state.

Q – What areas should every sexual harassment training program cover?

A – For peace of mind, make sure you cover every possible area when developing a training program on sexual harassment.

Indirect Sexual Harassment – Harassment is not always about a person touching or pressuring someone for sexual favors. For instance, an employee within earshot of other workers telling dirty jokes, sharing nude photos, or talking about their sexual rendezvous constitutes sexual harassment. When choosing topics for your training program, everyone in your organization must understand the different sexual harassment scenarios. Whether the group is around a desk, in the elevator, or sitting in the lunch room, every employee deserves to have a “safe” work environment.

Conduct on the Outside – Training should include topics on outside conduct.  Whether at someone’s home, at a restaurant, or in some other setting outside of work, your employees should still conduct themselves in a way that follows the laws and your company policy on sexual harassment. Sexual harassment can even happen online through any social media platforms. If one of your employees harasses someone outside of business using email or text messaging, that too creates a major issue.

Non-Employee Harassment – Sexual harassment can also extend from an employee to a non-employee of your company, whether a sponsor, vendor, supplier, customer, or partner. While your company has no direct responsibility for what others do outside of the workplace, if you have someone in your organization that is a target of sexual harassment, there is still a level of responsibility in protecting that person.

Management Level Responsibility – The reason you need separate training for your managers is that in a leadership role, they hold a higher level of responsibility for preventing and handling this type of claim. Included are “non-managers,” people who are not actually on a manager’s level yet they have some degree of delegated authority.

Retaliation – Your sexual harassment training program should also cover retaliation, especially since this is often the reason behind someone misbehaving. As an example, if a worker pressures another employee for sexual favors but that individual declines, the harasser might retaliate in some way. Having an effective program will not only help your staff avoid and prevent inciting incidents but also send a stern warning the company will not tolerate sexual harassment or retaliatory behavior.

For the broadest selection of sexual harassment courses developed by experts with years of experience and expertise, Go1 is your best source. You will find a ton of information for your training program, ensuring that you do not overlook anything.

Q&A: Fixing what’s missing from your sexual harassment training

We’re excited to announce the next webinar to walk you through our latest updates to Go1 will be taking place on October 31st at 8:30am AEDT (October 30th 3:30pm PST). After the webinar has gone live, we will post the recording in this post!

Our October webinar will have a special focus, the new course creation experience coming soon to all portals!

Go1 Senior Project Manager Liz Hardie will be on hand to walk you through the new course creation functionality with the highlights of the changes being:

A consistent interface for the creation of courses and single resource.

A new interface that allows you to easily blend events into your courses, with the option to include pre and post-learning.

Your learners will also experience an improved course overview and how an easier flow when they are booking into events

These new platform changes will be exclusively part of the new Early Access Program, so Liz will explain how you can join EAP and the perks of registering!

No matter how many users you have in Go1, this is a valuable webinar for all users that will help you to understand more about how to improve the way that you learn – a must watch for all administrators. 

Our Go1 Update webinars take place every month and covers everything you need to know about the latest updates to our platform, including a Q&A session where you can ask any questions you might have around anything to do with Go1.

Webinar: Go1 Platform end of October updates

Reading or listening to the news is all you need to understand why sexual harassment training in the workplace is so critical. Without proper education, many people will continue doing and saying things inappropriately because either they do not understand the consequences or do not recognize their actions as being wrong. With the right education, everyone in your organization can get on the same page as to what sexual harassment is, how to prevent it, and who to report to should an incident happen.

Making sexual favors a part of staying employed or promotions within the organization

Any unwanted physical contact or touching

Talking about or being within hear shot of one or more people sharing stories or fantasies about sex, telling off-colored sex-related jokes, or passing around explicit emails, text messages, or photographs

Because sexual harassment covers so many different things, it is essential that you select the right forum and content for training. Also, instead of having your employees take one course, mandate they continue taking courses as a stipulation of employment.

The environment in your organization is only as good as the training you provide your workers. You could have the best talent available and even employees dedicated to doing an excellent job for your company. However, unless they receive proper training on critical issues like sexual harassment, seemingly innocent actions could prove disastrous for them and your business as a whole.

According to numerous experts, many sexual harassment training courses are ineffective. For your company, not only do you need to have every employee complete the correct training courses but also have a system in place for enforcement. As part of that, your staff needs to know that the company will terminate anyone who violates the established policies. Also, your workers need the names of key individuals they can trust should a sexual harassment incident occur.

When researching different training courses to provide to your employees, choose those developed by experts in this area and training that falls in line with the current laws and regulations.

While some training reaches across all departments, not every member of your organization needs to complete the same courses. For instance, your leadership teams would take more in-depth training, helping them to identify a potential problem and deal with an issue in a professional yet compassionate manner.

Regardless of which online training courses you select, they should accommodate specific needs and meet explicit goals. After recognizing areas of weakness with most programs, experts recommend several ways to make sexual harassment training more effective.

Knowledge – Courses should enhance your employees’ understanding of what sexual harassment is, how to avoid it, and who to report to.

Leadership Endorsement – Choose training courses that your leadership team can endorse and participate in along with their staff. That gives workers the support they need during and after training.

Company-Wide Strategy – For any online training on sexual harassment to work, it has to be part of your company-wide strategy of preventing problems at work. In other words, every department in your organization must understand, support, and act when it comes to sexual harassment.

Types of Courses – Because sexual harassment is now such a huge topic, when you select the right platform for online training, you will discover thousands of articles, podcasts, videos, and more on a broad range of related topics. Take advantage of as much as you can, including courses on witness harassment, intervention, and so on. While you need to select the right training for the different staff members of your company, you also want to avoid limiting the scope of what they can learn regardless of level.

How to get the most out of your sexual harassment training

If you’ve invested a lot of time and money into employee training, it’s worthwhile thinking about how you’re tracking skill development.

Tracking skill development is really important for the benefit of both your employees and your business. How so?

Well, first of all, tracking the skill development of your employees is the best way to help them build the skill sets they need to succeed. By monitoring professional development for each team member, you can identify any skills gaps that need to be addressed and improve the gap between the skills your business needs and the skills your employees currently have.

Secondly, tracking skill development will also allow you to continually re-evaluate employee training programs as needed, to ensure you’re providing staff with the best possible development opportunities and getting a good ROI on your training investment.

Ready to get started? Here’s everything you need to know about tracking employee skill development and how you can use your Learning Management System to achieve this.

The importance of tracking professional development

First, let’s look at why it’s so important to monitor professional development in your employees. If you’re an employer or manager, you should be taking the time to sit down with each team member, to come up with a personalised action plan that will help them plan for their career.

Having a professional development program in place is the best way to help employees identify the skills they want to build on. These can be role-specific skills, for example graphic design, or skills that are focused more on personal development, such as becoming more resilient to change, responding well to feedback or dealing with challenging situations or people.

Each team member’s professional development program should aim to improve their skills and competencies, helping them to perform well for the business and establish career goals for the future.

Are you already using a Learning Management System for training across your organisation? Did you know you can also use your LMS to monitor and track skill development?

Your LMS platform is most likely full of insightful data that you can be tracking, to really start improving the performance of your team. This data is invaluable when it comes to interpreting the learning habits of your employees, while also showing whether or not the LMS is delivering value to your organisation.

Here’s everything you need to know about tracking employee skill development and how you can use your Learning Management System to achieve this.