Training and Education

The Office of Congressional Workplace Rights (OCWR) provides a program of education and training to inform legislative branch staff of their rights and responsibilities under the laws applied by the Congressional Accountability Act (CAA). The program includes an online learning management system (LMS); a 45-minute educational video on the CAA; video tutorials; quarterly e-newsletters; and downloadable brochures, which inform and promote workplace rights and accessible and hazard-free workplaces. Additionally, the OCWR regularly conducts both in-person and virtual training sessions on the CAA, and a wide variety of CAA-related topics.

All OCWR training modules are outlined below. If your office is interested in receiving a live, customizable training program, please contact the OCWR’s Outreach and Education Team at OCWRtraining@ocwr.gov.

 

CAA Required Training

The CAA Reform Act of 2018 requires legislative branch offices to develop and implement a program to train and educate covered employees on their rights and protections under the CAA. The OCWR provides training on the CAA that outlines the substantive provisions of the CAA and the OCWR’s administrative dispute resolution procedures to resolve claims of violation of the CAA.

The OCWR’s training satisfies the CAA training requirement for many employing offices of the legislative branch. However, in accordance with House Resolution, House staff are required to receive training by an official provider designated by the Committee on House Administration to comply with House Resolution. Senate staff may receive training from the OCWR to comply with the CAA training mandate, and may contact their office to ensure compliance with training requirements as outlined by Senate Resolution.

 

Training Catalog

Offices may request the OCWR provide training on the following topics:

  • Age Discrimination
  • Bystander Intervention
  • The Congressional Accountability Act and the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights
  • The Congressional Accountability Act: Recognizing and Preventing Discrimination and Harassment
  • Civility and Inclusion
  • Implicit Bias
  • Labor-Management Rights
  • Racial Equity
  • Resilience

Please see the Training Catalog page for more information on training modules.

 

Request Training

You may request training from the OCWR by contacting the Outreach and Education Team at OCWRtraining@ocwr.gov, or by calling the OCWR at (202) 724-9250.

Upon completion of training, the OCWR may provide a certificate of completion. Please contact the OCWR for more information.

 

Online Learning Management System (LMS)

hands on a laptop keyboard

The OCWR utilizes the LMS for certain training modules. To enroll in training, staff must first register for an account on the LMS website. After completing a training module, the LMS will generate and provide users with a certificate of completion. The OCWR currently offers the following modules via the LMS portal:

To meet the requirements of the Senate, Senate employees may select Recognizing and Preventing Discrimination and Harassment in the Congressional Workplace (Senate version) to receive a certificate. This training may be taken without receiving a certificate on the Recognizing and Preventing Discrimination and Harassment in the Workplace – 2019 Update page of the LMS.

 

Video Tutorials

The OCWR provides a series of educational video modules on subjects related to the CAA. These modules include:

 

General Counsel’s Brown Bag Lunch Series

Attorneys in the OCWR’s Office of the General Counsel conduct a Brown Bag Lunch Series for legal counsel within the legislative branch employing offices. The series is designed to educate participants about key issues and legal developments under the laws applied by the Congressional Accountability Act (CAA). The goal of these sessions is to promote the employing offices’ compliance with the laws applied by the CAA, by ensuring that their counsel have a thorough and nuanced understanding of the employing offices’ legal obligations to their employees.

View supplemental reference materials related to the General Counsel’s Brown Bag Outlines.

 

General Counsel’s Labor-Management Forums

Attorneys in the OCWR’s Office of the General Counsel regularly conduct presentations for attorneys and representatives of labor organizations and management of employing offices within the legislative branch. These Forums are designed to educate the participants about key issues affecting unions and unionized employers covered by the Congressional Accountability Act. In addition to promoting compliance with relevant laws and regulations, the Office of the General Counsel intends the Forums to help foster stable labor relations and good faith collective bargaining within the legislative branch.

View supplemental reference materials related to the General Counsel’s Labor-Management Forums.