ELI is celebrating 30 years of helping organizations operate lawfully, professionally and in line with their values. Stephen Paskoff founded the company in 1986; Paskoff, an authority on workplace compliance and legal issues, has been a former trial attorney for the EEOC and a law firm partner in a nationally recognized labor and employment firm.
While practicing law, Paskoff came to believe that the amount of time, money and energy spent on legal battles and other daily disruptions could have been avoided with proper training of employees. He created ELI’s Civil Treatment® learning solution to address the underlying causes of bad behavior in the workplace. Today, more than two million people worldwide have experienced ELI’s training and more than 8,000 instructors have been trained in ELI’s award-winning approach. And Civil Treatment has been made the core approach to daily behavior by some of the world’s top companies as well as in federal and state governments throughout the United States.
The impact of technology
In reflection of the company’s 30th year, Paskoff said, “While the delivery methods have changed, the messages of civility, inclusivity, values and appropriate behavior are exactly the same as they were 30 years ago.” While he has always believed in presenting interactive training that allows the participant to learn through their own insights, the original programs included scripts and video recordings that Paskoff wrote and produced himself. Today, ELI’s workplace scenarios are professionally produced and can also be presented virtually to every continent in the world from ELI’s corporate studio in a live, interactive, classroom setting.
One of Paskoff’s favorite souvenirs from ELI’s early days is the large carousel projector he used for slide presentations. It may look like an antique today, but he keeps it in his office as a reminder of how far ELI has come.
The core message remains
When it comes to civil behavior, new workplace issues have arisen over the past 30 years while many remain the same. Training employees to act respectfully, inclusively, and in line with organizational standards and reinforcing and sustaining that learning on the job is a vital key to solving the problem of bad behavior in the workplace. Focusing on organizational culture pays off in increased productivity, lower turnover, positive environments and, as many have found, a reduction in charges and lawsuits.
While changes to address newer corporate issues have been made to training scripts, such as learning to deal with co-workers that work remotely or regulating employees’ social media posts as they relate to the company, the message is virtually the same as it was when ELI was founded. And, ELI’s interactive method of teaching via realistic simulations remains extremely effective.
Making a difference
ELI’s messaging is about more than simply preventing discrimination and harassment lawsuits and companies are recognizing the importance and the value of its training. The Civil Treatment® training program has won awards from Human Resources Executive Magazine, Corporate Legal Times, MCAI, and most recently, the 2015 and 2016 Brandon Hall Group Excellence in Learning Bronze Awards for Best Unique or Innovative Learning and Development Program. Congratulations to the ELI team for 30 years of outstanding accomplishments!
