SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 17, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Vouch Insurance, the business insurance platform for startups, today announced a partnership with Ethena, the sexual harassment training program designed for modern companies. The partnership provides new and existing Vouch customers with free or discounted anti-harassment training from Ethena.
In the workplace, harassment is pervasive and underreported. Studies show that at least 40 percent of women and 15 percent of men have faced sexual harassment, which has negative personal impact and is highly detrimental to company culture. Sexual harassment claims and lawsuits can also open the door to significant financial loss and reputational damage. A single sexual harassment claim can cost a company $22,500 in lost productivity.
There is an ethical reckoning happening across industries, with employees and the general public losing patience with companies that do not behave with integrity and grow responsibly. Beyond the business case for investing in the development of inclusive cultures is the argument for building companies that allow employees to bring their best selves to work. Prospective recruits seek out employers that reflect their own values, and companies can lose valuable talent if they do not prioritize ethical behavior and effective training that catalyzes culture change.
Company culture has the greatest impact on the prevalence and prevention of harassment. The partnership between Vouch and Ethena supports both organizations’ commitment to safeguarding employees and companies from dangerous risk events, with the long term goal of providing training that targets behavioral change so companies can prioritize the wellbeing of their employees and scale responsibly and ethically. Through the partnership, Vouch customers will receive free harassment training for their first 14 employees. Companies with 15 employees or more will receive 20% off of their anti-harassment training.
“At Vouch, our goal is to help customers proactively manage and mitigate their unique risks, and educate founders on how they can create the most inclusive work environments,” said Kelly Wulff, General Counsel at Vouch Insurance. “Our partnership with Ethena adds another layer of protection for our customers, helping them bend their risk curves via ongoing harassment training for their employees, an essential step in building more responsible companies with ethical work cultures.”
“Ethena’s anti-harassment training is designed to drive forward a more equitable, safe workplace,” said Roxanne Petraeus, CEO, Ethena. “We know that nearly two-thirds of employees who have left the tech industry admit they would have stayed if their employer had resolved their culture concerns. We are excited to announce this partnership which demonstrates exactly what both companies are about— helping startups address issues early and develop stronger, more inclusive cultures."
Vouch and Ethena are disrupting the insurance and compliance training industries respectively, two sectors that have long-relied on outdated applications and programs. Their customer-driven approaches match the companies they are designed to protect: dynamic, flexible, and innovative, maintaining customer relationships and avoiding the “check the box mentality” that has been repeatedly proven ineffective.
About Vouch
Vouch is a new kind of insurance platform for startups, offering fully-digital, tailored coverage that takes minutes to activate. Vouch works directly with its clients to provide insurance and help manage and avoid risks, rather than brokering their insurance out to legacy carriers, so founders can focus on building their business. Vouch was founded by Sam Hodges and Travis Hedge, who experienced firsthand the value of insurance coverage tailored to a startup’s needs. Vouch is backed by Y Combinator, Ribbit Capital, and Index Ventures, and is backed and trusted by Silicon Valley Bank to serve its client base. Vouch has offices in San Francisco and Chicago. Learn more at vouch.us or on Twitter @vouch_group.
About Ethena
Ethena empowers companies with the tools to build a better workplace. Ethena’s harassment prevention training focuses on culture change over compliance, with approachable, evidence-based harassment prevention training that leans into nuance and provides actionable strategies for the modern workplace. It takes minutes to set up, is easy to administer with Gusto, Slack, and other great integrations, and helps companies get compliant with new anti-harassment training regulations. Ethena was founded by Roxanne Petraeus and Anne Solmssen, who used their experience in the U.S. Army, consulting and startups to reinvent the stuffy world of corporate training. Ethena is backed by GSV, Homebrew, and Neo, and based in Brooklyn, NY. Learn more at www.goethena.com or on Twitter @goethena.
Media Contact
LaunchSquad for Vouch Insurance
vouch@launchsquad.com
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