Portland, OR – 21 September 2021 – OpenSesame, a market-leading SaaS global elearning innovator, today announced the addition of Eleventure to its popular OpenSesame Plus subscription. With this announcement, OpenSesame is adding significant expertise to its robust catalog that will boost on-the-job skills in a variety of subject areas. 

Eleventure provides high-quality, microlearning courses designed to help learners enhance the skills they use on a daily basis from communicating with others, setting goals, or managing their time effectively. 

The learner-centered microlearning approach that Eleventure takes enables the learner to retain knowledge, while addressing critical topics like Resocialization after Covid-19 and Creating Racial Equity in the Workplace (CREW). These courses dive beyond the surface to provide true value for learners and their organizations. Some of Eleventure’s most popular courses center around reducing workplace anxiety and conflict management, critical topics that can shape an organization’s environment and culture.

“We are excited to welcome Eleventure and their 50+ courses to the OpenSesame Plus catalog. Their fast, action-focused courses fill critical gaps in our ever evolving workplaces,” said Spencer Thornton, Senior Vice President of Curation at OpenSesame. “In addition the need for learner-centered microlearning courses has grown even more critical.” 

“Eleventure helps people learn and apply new skills quickly, offering high quality content in a casual, refreshing micro format that learners love,” said Megan Torrance, CEO of TorranceLearning. “We’re thrilled to make these courses available to OpenSesame’s customers.” 

About OpenSesame

OpenSesame helps develop the world’s most productive and admired workforces through powerful online learning in every industry. With the most comprehensive catalog of elearning courses from the world’s top publishers, OpenSesame helps global companies every step of the way. In a moment of an increasingly virtual workforce, OpenSesame has added even more Global 2000 companies to its customer base. With over 20,000+ courses, the platform touches all industries in all markets. For more information, visit opensesame.com

About Eleventure

Eleventure® takes a learner-centered microlearning approach, addressing critical topics that learners need now. From courses on Covid-19, Resocialization after Covid-19, and Virtual Selling to Creating Racial Equity in the Workplace (CREW), Eleventure courses dive beyond the surface level to provide true value for learners and their organizations. In addition, the courses on reducing workplace anxiety, workplace communication and conflict management, and coaching are time-tested popular offerings. Eleventure teaches critical, on-the-job skills people need. It’s fast. It’s fresh. It’s action based. And it’s designed and developed by the award-winning team at TorranceLearning.

To learn more about Eleventure’s training, visit www.opensesame.com/s/eleventure

Media contact:

Hallie Janssen

hallie.janssen@opensesame.com

(917) 253-7355

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Voices of OpenSesame Juntos Employee Resource Group (ERG): 

I spent most of my childhood summers visiting my abuela who lived in the foothills of a mountain in the southwestern part of the United States. I loved to run through the arroyos, eat from her apricot trees, and catch lizards who became my summer companions. Whenever I went inside her house, I was met with love from her big, warm hugs, her large plates of food with her homemade tortillas, and her affectionate “mijita.” Outside of her affectionate address, I was rarely met with one thing: Spanish. 

Even though my abuela was bilingual in Spanish and English, she never spoke Spanish with me. This was the same at home; my mom never spoke Spanish with me either. There are many contributing factors, with one being that I lived in a multicultural home, and my dad didn’t speak the language, nor was he Hispanic. Thus, our language at home was only English with a sprinkle of Spanish words and phrases. However, the main reason I never grew up speaking Spanish was because of the generation I was born into. 

My mom’s family is part of the Hispanic community in the U.S. who predates the United States itself. They lived on the land in the southwest that eventually became a state. My family never immigrated to the U.S., but were instead living in areas where “the border crossed us.” For my mom, she faced discrimination for speaking Spanish, especially in school, and was faced with all aspects of assimilation. My mom’s perspectives on Spanish grew from this experience and impacted how my sister and I would grow up without it. 

I went through my childhood never questioning my lack of Spanish and thought of it as something fun to listen to when overhearing my mom on the phone, for example. I even took high school Spanish because I thought, “Mom speaks it. It should be an easy class.” It wasn’t until I was older and when my abuela passed away that I began to truly contemplate the important relationship between language and cultural identity. Whenever I asked my mom why my sister and I never learned Spanish, she would always respond by saying, “I felt English was more important because I wanted you to have opportunities.”

Into my adulthood, I began to feel like something was missing, like I wasn’t a “real” Hispanic because I couldn’t speak the language. And from interactions with some Spanish-speaking Hispanics, that became more obvious as they would usually shame my mom for not teaching me our cultural language. But they didn’t understand what contributed to my mom’s decision. My generation didn’t grow up speaking Spanish. My sister didn’t. My first cousins didn’t. We were the result of the effects of discrimination and assimilation that our parents grew up with, where English trumped Spanish at every turn. 

Now, as an adult, I’ve been trying to learn my cultural language with the disheartening fact that I’ll never be a fluent Spanish speaker like my abuela’s generation or even my mom’s — as she jokingly calls it — “Spanglish” generation. I still question if I’m Hispanic enough. But with that comes an additional question: How do I self-identify now?

Latinx is one option.

The term Latinx is something I see and hear all the time. It’s in the news, in textbooks, on social media, and even in our company’s courses. However, I don’t use the term. Honestly, I don’t even like it. If there is one way I would not self-identify, it’s as Latinx. 

According to Pew Research, most Latinos don’t use the term. And for someone like my mom, along with 76% of the adult Latino population, they haven’t even heard of it. The term is more commonly known among young adults and college graduates. 

I can understand how adding an “x” is trying to make the term gender-inclusive. However, the “x” represents another form of erasure to me. My cultural language was taken from me because of the assimilation that tried to erase the language from my mom and her generation, and that assimilation met its goal with many in my generation. The addition of the “x” is just another reminder of that. 

The “x” doesn’t follow the grammatical conventions of the Spanish language, and that is the very reason for its use. The “x” attempts to erase the gendered conventions of a language spoken by over 550 million people — in the name of inclusion. However, there are other inclusive equivalents that I believe are more respectful to the Spanish language. There is a term that already exists in English: Latin, as in Latin music and Latin America. There’s even a Spanish version that fits its grammatical conventions, Latine. It uses –e instead of –o or –a. These are more favorable options that don’t try to erase the Spanish language. The “x” seems like a way to fix something that isn’t even broken. 

What’s truly broken is the continued prejudice and discrimination against Spanish speakers and the idea that if they don’t speak English in the U.S., they should go back “home.” But that ignores the reality of the U.S. having “the second largest population of Spanish speakers in the world,” and for people like my family, we are home. We’ve been home for generations. We’ve never left.

For various reasons — with some being very personal ones — not all of us may agree with or even like the term Latinx, while some do. This is because the Hispanic and Latino population is not monolithic. We all don’t identify in the same way, and that includes the terms we choose for ourselves and for being more inclusive.

So, how do I choose to self-identify? For me, it’s complicated, but I’ll always be my abuela’s mijita.

By a Member of Juntos ERG

To learn more about how you can propel your DEI initiatives, use the resources below:

Essential DEI Resources →

DEI Progress Survey →

ERG Curated Course List →

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Here are a few of our must-haves for your employee onboarding checklist that will help your new hires make a smooth transition to full-time employees:

1. Compliance Courses 

Not only is compliance training important for workplace safety, but meeting your state’s standard for training is a legal requirement. It can cost your company big time to cut corners. The OSHA penalty for non-compliance is $13,260 but can get up to $132,398 after repeated offenses. Our OpenSesame publishers are contractually obligated to ensure their courses are compliant with legal regulations and are updated regularly, so you never have to worry about them going out of date.

Recommended compliance courses: 

• • Fire Extinguisher Safety
  • Common Ground: Sexual Harassment and Abusive Conduct Prevention

2. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Training

Now more than ever, diversity and inclusion training initiatives are at the forefront of learning and development, but how can you successfully implement these programs and retain your diverse workforce? A 2019 Glassdoor study found that 49% of employed adults across four countries (United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany) have witnessed or experienced racism, ageism, gender, or LGBTQ discrimination in the workplace. Make sure your company is part of the change and that new employees know the expectations and that guidelines are in place to protect them. An equitable and inclusive workplace is a safer, more innovative workplace. 

Recommended Diversity, Equity and Inclusion courses: 

• • Diversity and Inclusion: Creating an Inclusive Culture
  • Unconscious Bias

3. Professional Development 

A Gallup poll found that 70% of employees are not reaching their full potential in the workplace. An efficient professional development program for your employees can help mitigate that disparity and set them up for success. Set the expectation during onboarding that professional development isn’t just an afterthought, but ingrained in your company values. A study done by the Association of Training and Development found that companies that spent more money on training and development saw a total shareholder return that was 86% higher than companies that spent less. The benefits of a professional development program are clear — the value of your company goes up when you invest in your employees from day one. 

Recommended professional development courses: 

• • Emerging Leaders: The Importance of Vision
  • Management Skills: Coaching – The Power of Questions

OpenSesame boasts a catalog of over 20,000 courses so we can help with all of your company’s learning and development goals throughout the employee lifecycle.  For our full employee onboarding checklist of courses click here. 

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Supervisors are also the ones in an organization uniquely positioned to address warning signs before they escalate, and report warning signs of a potential threat.

Creating a workplace that actively addresses and works to prevent bullying not only creates a positive company culture, but also helps to reduce turnover. In fact 65% of workers who witnessed or experienced bullying in their workplace quit or lost their job because of bullying. 

Threats in the workplace include: 

• Domestic disputes
• Coworker disputes/harassment
• Criminal acts
• Bullying and harassment
• Active shooter situations

Four Steps to Cultivate a Safer Workplace

• Step 1: Know your employees By conducting background checks and references during hiring can prevent a potentially volatile person from joining your organization in the first place. Proper screening is crucial as your company could be found liable for negligence in the hiring process. In addition, if a violent incident should occur you may be obligated to notify future employers of that employee’s background as failing to disclose that information can be considered negligent referral.

• Step 2: Create clear policies Create an environment of respect by establishing a policy that covers everyone in your workplace, from employees to contractors, vendors, and even visitors. This policy should be supported by top level management and be clear about unacceptable behaviors as well as the possible consequences for them. It should also outline procedures for reporting offenses.

• Step 3: Enforce your policies Enforce your policy and enforce it consistently. All reports of bullying, harassment, violence and threats must be taken seriously.

• Step 4: Complete a threat assessment Determine where your company could better protect itself against workplace violence. Teach your employees how to identify warning signs, how to report concerning behavior, and how to deescalate a situation. Deescalation is an especially important skill for managers and supervisors.

You can watch the full webinar “Preventing Bullying and Workplace Violence Through Supervisor and Workplace Training” here. 

With courses offered in multiple languages, and available on multiple devices we help companies like yours develop the world’s most developed and admired global workforces. For more information on how OpenSesame can save you time and money by curating the right courses for your organization, contact us at info@opensesame.com today.

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Common areas of vulnerability

While technology has helped automate many  business processes, the opportunities for breaches has multiplied as a result. It is essential that your employees are not only cautious with their computers, but also with their cell phones and USB connections. Something as simple as using a USB plug to charge your phone in a public place can leave your information vulnerable if you don’t take necessary precautions.   

52% of businesses admit that their employees’ biggest weakness is in IT security. Furthermore 46% of cyber security incidents are from careless or under trained staff. 

Check out these courses offered through OpenSesame to get your workforce up to speed: 

• • Data Privacy and Information Security
  • Data Protection: General Data Protection Regulation
  • Privacy and Data Protection Essentials

In addition, be sure to check out this recent OpenSesame webinar with expert Dr. Robert K. Minitti from OpenSesame course publisher Wolters Kluwer where he outlines how to incorporate fraud and IT security as part of your learning and development strategy. 

OpenSesame helps companies like yours develop the world’s most developed and admired workforces. For more information on how we can help you save time, money, and curate the right courses for your training program, contact us today at info@opensesame.com. 

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First, what is Human Capital Management (HCM)? 

HCM is a hire to retire system that helps a business organize and manage an overall workforce, including areas such as: 

• • Workforce management (performance management and time management) 
  • Workforce optimization (workforce planning and professional development) 
  • Talent management (recruiting, on-boarding, retention and benefits) 

Where does training fit in HCM?

A learning management system (LMS) is an essential component of an integrated HCM suite. Effective organizations leverage their training investment to enhance each of the HCM core components:

1. 1. Performance management: training supports the skills all employees needs to improve their performance and time management
   2. Retention and recruitment: training helps with retention or recruitment as an added benefit to the employee value proposition for a company
   3. Onboarding: with proper training, human resources departments are able to accelerate on-boarding and ramp up of new employees 
   4. Talent development: reskilling or upskilling employees ensure they can better contribute to the company’s future 

To what extent does training improve the employee lifecycle?

With expertly curated training for each area of the HCM suite, an organization is able to achieve four critical outcomes:

1. 1. Reduce the time to hire. While this may come as no surprise, according to the Brandon Hall Group, your greatest challenge is attracting and keeping talent. 71% of the time spent on human resource teams are attracting talent. By using the elements of Data Science and making AI a top priority in attracting talent, you’ll be alongside the 24% of organizations doing the same over the next 24 months. 
   2. Enhance performance. Companies that effectively link learning to outcomes see 57% increase in compliance rates and 36% increase in individual and overall organizational performance.
   3. Cultivate talent. Companies that effectively link learning to outcomes see 31% of skill gaps closed and internal promotions go up. 
   4. Transform traditional learning. 60% of challenges to achieving learning outcomes happen due to lack of alignment between learning and outcomes. Design programs with content experts to best meet strategic objectives. 

As you can see, training complements an HCM strategy and content is core to a training strategy. OpenSesame’s curated elearning programs help organizations transform traditional training into modern learning that is lean, social, and personalized. Training integrated with an HCM suite maximizes talent and drives performance throughout every employee’s lifecycle. 

Effective learning and development is critical for talent management strategies. With OpenSesame, your HCM suite will be supercharged to get your employees engaged and thriving with the latest courses in compliance, time management, and professional development. 

Contact OpenSesame today to see how we can help you engage your employees with the latest courses in performance management, succession planning, and professional development.

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Updates to California Sexual Harassment Training

Currently, AB 1825 alone will not satisfy compliance requirements. As of 2015, California also requires that companies comply with AB 2053 which includes training on abusive conduct. In addition, in April 2016, the Fair Employment and Housing Act was updated to include policies, protections, and employer actions that focus on the prevention of harassment, discrimination, and retaliation. This means that companies must take training that at least covers all three: AB 1825, AB 2053, and updates to FEHA.

• AB 2053* – This amendment requires sexual harassment training to include education on how to prevent harassment, remedies available victims, components of an anti-harassment policy, and practical examples for instructing supervisors. 

*For more information on AB 2053 visit the California Legislative Information

• FEHA* – In 2016 new regulations were added to FEHA that include the requirement of additional written policies. Notable changes include the action around the topics of:

  • Written policy requirements

  • Definitions regarding sex and gender

  • Sex discrimination

  • Reasonable accommodations

  • Human trafficking

  • Unpaid interns and volunteers

  • Pregnancy

  • Religious discrimination

  • Support animals

  • National origin discrimination

  • Anti-bullying training

*For more information on FEHA visit the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing

How to Stay Compliant

If you’re a business in California, you not only have to comply with AB 1825, but AB 2053 and FEHA’s new updates as well. Luckily many organizations are providing online sexual harassment training for businesses. See OpenSesame’s top five sexual harassment courses below that cover the new requirements:

Course Name	Author	Price	Length
Common Ground: 2017 Sexual Harassment and Abusive Conduct Prevention Simulation – Supervisor’s Course (AB1825/AB 2053)	Will Interactive	$32-$38	2 hours
Preventing Discrimination and Harassment for California/Connecticut Managers	Vado	$12-$24	2 hours
H.E.R.O. – AB-1825/2053 Compliant Harassment Education & Retaliation Overview for Supervisors	Prositions	$21-$30	2 hours
Drawing the Line: Creating a Harassment-Free Workplace (CA Version)	Sollah Interactive	$18-$30	2 hours
Employment Law – AB 1825/2053 California Sexual Harassment for Supervisor	Vivid Learning Systems	$7-$14	2 hours

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