News
Berliner Cohen Partner Selected to Lead ExecSense “Advising on Virtual Sexual Harassment” Webinar
December 02, 2009
The following press release was distributed by ExecSense on December 2, 2009:
Roberta S. Hayashi, Berliner Cohen Partner and Employment Group leader, was selected by the speaker board of ExecSense (www.ExecSense.com) to lead a webinar on “Advising Clients on the Virtual Sexual Harassment of Co-Workers – How Labor/Employment Lawyers Can Help Their Clients Set Up a Policy to Avoid Such Situations.” The webinar is now available for download and watching on a computer, mobile device, iPod, or printed and viewed offline at http://www.execsense.com/details.asp?id=568.
In “Advising Clients on the Virtual Sexual Harassment of Co-Workers,” Ms. Hayashi examined how companies can be harmed when employees “virtually” sexually harass their co-workers (through text messaging, social media sites, etc.), and how labor/employment lawyers should be helping their clients establish a policy to prevent those situations and minimize legal exposure.
Labor/employment lawyers are encouraged to view this 60-minute webinar (via computer, mobile phone, iPod or printed out) [to increase their knowledge on this subject and to be able to provide advice to their clients about the legal ramifications of implementing a virtual sexual harassment policy and how to handle employees found to be engaging in virtual sexual harassment]. to be in-the-know on this important topic and to make sure they have answers ready to key questions they are sure to be asked by clients about the legal ramifications of implementing a virtual sexual harassment policy and how to handle employees found to be engaging in virtual sexual harassment.
According to Catharine Lloyd, head of speaker relations for ExecSense, “We were honored to have Ms. Hayashi lead a webinar on this topic. Her work is highly regarded in the industry and the webinar is a great resource for labor and employment lawyers.”
According to Ms. Hayashi, “The proliferation of electronic communication devices and the access of social networking sites by employees during working-hours has made it more difficult for employers to prevent the influx of inappropriate material in the workplace. In California, and other jurisdictions, employers face liability for failing to provide a work-environment free of harassment on the basis of any protected classification, including sex.”
For complete information or to purchase this webinar, please visit http://www.execsense.com/details.asp?id=568 or call us at (415) 453-3003.
About Ms. Hayashi:
Roberta Hayashi, Partner at Berliner Cohen and head of the employment law group, has over twenty-five years experience representing and advising Silicon Valley employers in employment and business litigation. She has trial experience in wrongful termination, discrimination, and misappropriation of trade secrets and proprietary information actions in both state and federal court. In June 2003, she was named one of the “Top 50 Women Litigators” in California by The Daily Journal, and recently named as a 2009 Woman of Influence by the Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal. She was recently honored by the Santa Clara County Bar Association as Professional Lawyer of the Year for 2009.
She is a frequent speaker on employment law and legal ethics, and is a faculty member at Lincoln Law School on employment law, past president of the Santa Clara County Bar Association and the Law Foundation of Silicon Valley, and a member of the Santa Clara County Superior Court, Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee and Bench/Bar/Media/Police Committee.