States With Mandatory Sexual Harassment Prevention Training: Five States That Provide Training

Sexual harassment refers to any form of harassment that includes direct and indirect sexual implications. It may occur in any location, their own homes, workplaces, schools, universities, etc. and has been a problem since the beginning of time. Indeed, one can get them justice by identifying the guilty person and charging them for the assault so that no one would dare to perform such a disgusting act.

Many workplaces provide sexual harassment training to their employees, which provides them with a safe workplace to perform their jobs. Many states in the United States of America provide mandatory sexual harassment prevention training: California, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, New York, etc. 

Let’s dive into the sexual harassment prevention training provided by each state:

California

The California Fair Employment and Housing Act has made certain employment practices unlawful, including direct harassment of the employee by the employer and indirect harassment of the employee by agents of the employer. Employers with five or more employees under them should provide them with sexual harassment prevention training.

This is not just restricted to supervisory employees but also non-supervisory employees. Supervisors should receive a minimum of two hours of training addressing other types of harassment as well. Non-supervisory employees should receive a minimum of one hour of training. This training must occur within the first six months a person is hired or promoted and every two years after that. 

In addition to supervisory and non-supervisory employees, the temporary and seasonal employees must also be trained. The training must also cover a portion on prevention of abusive conduct and harassment based on one’s gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation. It should also cover the remedies for the victims and practical examples of harassment. 

According to the survey conducted by ABC and Washington Post, 95% of harassers are left unpunished. This shows that most companies try to protect the assaulters more than the assaulted. 

Initially, this law was only applicable for the employers having fifty or more employees, but Senate Bill 1343 lowered this to five employees. This bill makes it compulsory for employers to make online courses regarding sexual harassment prevention training, informational posters, and fact sheets available to the employees and the public on the department’s Internet Web site. 

All employers in California are liable to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace and must immediately take the necessary measures to prevent any such event. They must provide each employee with a sexual harassment information sheet when that employee is hired.

Connecticut 

A survey conducted by Stop Street Harassment found that out of 996 women, 38% of them faced sexual assault in the workplace, 39% of employees were not confident that their issues would be addressed. In contrast, 46% of them fear retaliation. Hence, they try to endure the emotional and mental effects of the assault instead of going forward to report the case.  

Companies in Connecticut with three or more employees must provide sexual harassment prevention training to their employees. This was mandated by the bills passed by Connecticut General Assembly- Public Act 19-3 and Public Act 19-93. 

All employees must be provided sexual harassment prevention training within six months of being hired. They must receive a harassment poster designated by the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities or information from the company stating its policy in writing or via email, or even on its website within three months of hiring them.

The Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities (CHRO) has made online training materials available to the employees at no cost, and it satisfies all the training requirements. There is no difference in the content provided for the supervisory and non-supervisory employees, and they can view the sessions when they desire. 

Failure to post the required notices by the employers would lead to fines ranging from $250 - $750. The corrective measures would be the relocation of the workplace, change in shifts or schedule, etc. However, the corrective measures are not limited to those stated above. The CHRO can also inspect required training, notices, etc. if it is believed that the employer violates the rules or if a complaint has been filed.

Delaware 

Delaware’s harassment training laws apply to all the public and private sectors having fifty or more employees. The employees must provide sexual harassment prevention training to their employees, be it full-time employees, part-time employees, interns, or apprentices.