Sexual harassment affects more than just the employees involved, it affects your entire organization. Besides causing emotional distress and decreased performance, the lawsuits resulting from these sexual harassment claims are stressful and can be very expensive. With a continued nationwide effort to shed light on sexual harassment in the workplace, several states have implemented sexual harassment training laws in recent years. Therefore, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine and New York are in the group of states who require employers to provide sexual harassment prevention training to employees.
Take a look at your specific state laws if you have questions on upcoming or existing requirements.
California
Employers with five or more employees are required to provide at least two hours of sexual harassment training to all staff members with supervisor duties. They must also provide at least one hour of training non-supervisor employees by January 1, 2021. After that, the training must be given once every two years. All new employees must be trained on sexual harassment within six months of their hire date.
Connecticut
Connecticut employers with three or more employees must provide two hours of sexual harassment training to all existing employees by January 1, 2021. Employees must complete the training by October 1, 2020, or within six months of hiring thereafter. Employers could face fines up to $1,000 if the required training is not provided.
Delaware
Delaware employers with 50 or more employees must have all new employees trained within a year of their hire date and every two years after that in addition to having all current employees trained as of January 1, 2020. The state law requires that all full-time, part-time, seasonal, and temporary employees participate in interactive training.
Illinois
As of December 31, 2020, all Illinois employers must provide sexual harassment training to employees as part of the Workplace Transparency Act, and on an annual basis thereafter.
Maine
All employers with 15 or more employees who are located in or doing business in the state of Maine must train all employees about sexual harassment within a year of the beginning of their employment. Supervisors and managers must receive additional training within one year of assuming their positions.
New York
Beginning 1 April 2019, the Stop Sexual Harassment in NYC Act requires all employers located in New York City with more than 15 employees, including interns, to conduct an annual anti-sexual harassment training for all employees, supervisors and managers. Employers in New York City will also be responsible for providing anti-sexual harassment training to new employees, who work more than 80 hours per year, within 90 days of their hiring date.
Manages Hazmat School’s E-Learning courses and blog. Kirstie has extensive experience in the online training and education industry. Kirstie has worked with courses that offer a variety of safety and environmental certifications that satisfy OSHA, EPA and DOT requirements.
