Speaker Biography

Varouj N. Arabian is Partner at Bartko Pavia LLP in the Labor & Employment Practice. Located in the Los Angeles office, Varouj has an active employment litigation practice focused primarily on defending clients against claims of discrimination, sexual abuse, sexual harassment, retaliation, FMLA, wrongful termination, defamation, whistleblower claims, unpaid wages, and meal and rest break violations. Varouj’s labor and employment practice is wide-ranging, as he guides businesses on employment-related issues from employee onboarding through post-termination disputes.

 In addition to his active litigation practice, Varouj has spent his career, including at an Am Law 100 law firm, providing comprehensive litigation services and advising clients on best practices to avoid future litigation. Varouj regularly counsels employers on hiring practices, terminations, workplace investigations, reduction in workforce issues, and litigation avoidance practices. Varouj also provides guidance to employers regarding the negotiation of separation agreements, drafting employment handbooks, policies, and procedures, and various issues related to wage and hour compliance. Through creative and productive collaborative discussions with clients, Varouj works to focus his practice on assistance to clients with an eye towards avoiding actionable conduct related to employment issues.

He has represented and advised both small businesses and large corporations in the hospitality, security, financial services, startup, real estate, advertising, publishing, automotive, retail, information technology, apparel, performing and visual arts, construction, luxury brand, cosmetics, and healthcare industries, among others, as well as in the nonprofit, education and municipal sectors.

 Varouj also has extensive experience in developing and delivering custom-tailored management and employee-training seminars and is routinely asked to serve as a guest speaker by groups on a variety of employment-related topics, including, but not limited to, harassment, hiring, disciplining, firing, wage-hour compliance, discrimination, interviewing, and family medical leave.

Course Summary

California anti-harassment training to equip employees and supervisors with the tools to recognize, respond to and prevent harassment, including sexual harassment, discrimination, and other inappropriate workplace conduct.

Since January 1, 2021, California businesses with five (5) or more employees MUST provide harassment prevention training every two (2) years. Employees are required to have 1 hour of training within six (6) months of hire. Supervisors and Managers are required to have 2 hours of training within six (6) months of hire or promotion.  In this instructor-led session, attendees will engage in discussions on all forms of sexual harassment (verbal, visual, and physical). Other types of prohibited harassment, discrimination, retaliation, and abusive conduct will also be covered.

 Attendees will learn how to recognize problems and their responsibility in the prevention of harassment, discrimination, retaliation, and abusive conduct. Topics include reporting, bystander intervention as well as practical tips on how to stay out of trouble and keep the workplace harassment-free.

 The first hour of this training is designed for both employees and supervisors to attend, and fulfills the requirement for employee training. In the second hour, employees will leave and supervisors will remain on the webinar for an additional 60  minutes to learn about investigations, resolving complaints, and parameters of confidentiality.