After several fits and starts, the town has yet again revised the anti-harassment training offered to its employees and many of its volunteers, a training that will be offered through early December.
The comprehensive, two-hour in-person training replaces a 12-minute video, “The Rights and Duties of a Volunteer in Local Government,” which until recently had been required viewing for Secaucus’ municipal volunteers.
“When we took office in January, this was one of the things we promised we were going to do. It took longer to get done than we had hoped, but we got it done,” said Mayor Michael Gonnelli. “The [women] who are leading it are phenomenal and we’re getting a lot of good feedback so far.”
For more than two years town officials have grappled with ways to limit exposure to lawsuits ever since losing a multi-million-dollar civil lawsuit brought by a gay couple who used to live next to the North End Firehouse.
“What’s acceptable to some is not acceptable to everyone.” – Lisa Snedeker
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In June 2008 a Hudson County Superior Court jury awarded the couple $2.8 million in damages, plus another $2 million in legal fees, because the jury concluded the town hadn’t adequately protected their civil rights.
Following the lawsuit the insurance companies that paid out the jury award demanded that Secaucus improve its anti-harassment training for municipal volunteers. The requirement led to the creation of the 12-minute video.
Although paid employees had already received more training than volunteers, the Gonnelli administration had been critical even of the employee training and vowed to make several changes. They were also critical of the town’s lack of a clear anti-discrimination policy, as is standard in most places of business.
The training
Town Attorney Anthony D’Elia has been working with the administration for months to revise its anti-discrimination policy and employee handbook, a critical foundation to any anti-discrimination training, according to Nita Raval, a lawyer with Florio & Kenney who helps lead the town’s new training, along with Esther Navarez, staff liaison to the New Jersey Commission on Civil Rights.
Among the recent changes, according to Town Administrator David Drumeler, are “more clearly defined complaint procedures,” and rules governing how municipal employees and volunteers should treat members of the public.
The two-hour interactive training itself is, Drumeler said, “lively and engaging enough that people don’t feel like it’s been two hours.”
Navarez begins the training with everyday examples of verbal and nonverbal workplace communication that could be considered harassment or discrimination – using a coworker’s nickname, putting a hand on someone’s shoulder, jokes, etc. – and then discusses why these interactions can be considered harassment by some workers.
The training will not necessarily prevent future lawsuits from being filed, Raval, a member of the state Commission on Civil Rights, pointed out.
It should, however, limit the number of “viable lawsuits” from being filed, going to court, and going against the town.
The response
Town employees are currently going through the training in small groups. Thus far, a number of supervisors and senior staff have taken the training, with other employees and volunteers scheduled to take it in the coming weeks.
Two supervisors who were asked for their feedback last week said they found the training to be both interesting and informative.
“The woman we had was incredible. She was very direct. She knew what she was talking about. She just made us realize how much is at stake. Your own reputation is at stake, but so is the town’s because we all represent the town,” said Lisa Snedeker, director of Senior and Community Services. “You know, what’s acceptable to some is not acceptable to everyone. There were things she raised that I hadn’t thought about. You know, sometimes I’ll make fun of myself, or say things about myself. And even that is unacceptable, even though it’s me saying something against myself.”
“I was very impressed with the presentation. I was very impressed with the individuals that made the presentation. It was very informative,” said Acting Tax Collector Nicholas Goldsack. “She did a good job of bringing out the subtle aspects of harassment that can happen, and some of the things that people take for granted. It was worth every two hours.”
Since Goldsack has worked in various government jobs for much of his career, he said there was very little information presented that was new to him. Still, he found it to be a useful reminder of what is and is not appropriate at work.
Without mentioning any specific comments she has received from employees in Secaucus, Raval said she commonly gets slightly different feedback after the presentations are over.
“We’re often privy to questions along the lines of, ‘Can I get sued for ______?’ The other comment that we’re privy to very often is: ‘It seems like I can’t do anything. Work’s just not fun anymore.’”
Employees also have a lot of questions, she said, about how to best interact with coworkers who are also friends outside the office.
While recognizing that the line between acceptable behavior and harassment is sometimes “blurry,” Raval said she tries to underscore the importance of erring on the side of caution to prevent any allegations from being made.
“People feel stifled. And in a way it’s too bad that it’s come to this,” Raval said. “But this is what our law requires of us.”
E-mail E. Assata Wright at awright@hudsonreporter.com.