All relevant laws are covered in our course. Our nationally recognized Sexual Harassment Prevention Training is universal and covers supervisory and non-supervisory employees. We feel that prevention of sexual harassment in the workplace is most effective when everyone is on the same page. federal and state-specific laws are covered so that your Certificate of Completion is valid in all 50 states.

TITLE VII

  • Sexual harassment is a form of sex discrimination that violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Title VII applies to employers with 15 or more employees, including state and local governments. It also applies to employment agencies and to labor organizations, as well as to the federal government.
  • Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature constitute sexual harassment when this conduct explicitly or implicitly affects an individual’s employment, unreasonably interferes with an individual’s work performance, or creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive work environment.

EEOC

  • It is unlawful to harass a person (an applicant or employee) because of that person’s sex. Harassment can include “sexual harassment” or unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical harassment of a sexual nature.
  • Harassment does not have to be of a sexual nature, however, and can include offensive remarks about a person’s sex. For example, it is illegal to harass a woman by making offensive comments about women in general.
  • Both victim and the harasser can be either a woman or a man, and the victim and harasser can be the same sex.
  • Although the law doesn’t prohibit simple teasing, offhand comments, or isolated incidents that are not very serious, harassment is illegal when it is so frequent or severe that it creates a hostile or offensive work environment or when it results in an adverse employment decision (such as the victim being fired or demoted).
  • The harasser can be the victim’s supervisor, a supervisor in another area, a co-worker, or someone who is not an employee of the employer, such as a client or customer.

NEW YORK LAWS

  • IN 2018 NEW YORK STATE PASSED LAWS REQUIRING EMPLOYERS, REGARDLESS OF THE SIZE OF THEIR BUSINESS, TO PROVIDE SEXUAL HARASSMENT TRAINING TO ALL EMPLOYEES EFFECTIVE OCTOBER 9, 2018.
  • TRAINING MUST BE REFRESHED EVERY YEAR.
  • FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE SEE NEW YORK HUMAN RIGHTS LAW SECTION 296.1, NEW YORK CITY STOP SEXUAL HARASSMENT ACT.

CONNECTICUT LAWS

  • IN 1992 CONNECTICUT MADE SEXUAL HARASSMENT TRAINING MANDATORY FOR SUPERVISORY EMPLOYEES.
  • ANY BUSINESS WITH 50 OR MORE WORKERS MUST PROVIDE SUPERVISORY EMPLOYEES WITH 2 HOURS OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT TRAINING WITHIN 6 MONTHS OF HIRE. IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT TRAINING BE REFRESHED EVERY 2 YEARS.
  • FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE SEE THE CONNECTICUT HUMAN RIGHTS AND OPPORTUNITY ACT OF 1992.

DELAWARE

  • EMPLOYERS WITH 50 OR MORE EMPLOYEES MUST HAVE THEM TRAINED IN SEXUAL HARASSMENT PREVENTION.
  • EMPLOYERS MUST TRAIN NEW EMPLOYEES WITHIN A YEAR OF THEIR START DATE AND EVERY TWO YEARS AFTER THAT.
  • CURRENT EMPLOYEES MUST BE TRAINED BEFORE JANUARY 1, 2020.

ILLINOIS

  • EMPLOYERS WITH 15 OR MORE EMPLOYEES MUST HAVE THEM TRAINED IN SEXUAL HARASSMENT PREVENTION.
  • THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN RIGHTS WILL DEVELOP AND ADOPT A SEXUAL HARASSMENT TRAINING PROGRAM WHICH ALL EMPLOYERS WILL USE, UNLESS THEY ESTABLISH ANOTHER THAT EQUALS OR EXCEEDS THE MINIMUM STANDARDS PROVIDED BY THE MODEL.
  • EMPLOYERS MUST PROVIDE THIS TRAINING AT LEAST ONCE A YEAR.

MAINE LAWS

  • IN 1991 MAINE PASSED A LAW MAKING IT A REQUIREMENT FOR EMPLOYERS TO HAVE SUPERVISORY EMPLOYEES TRAINED IN SEXUAL HARASSMENT PREVENTION.
  • ANY BUSINESS WITH 15 OR MORE WORKERS MUST PROVIDE SUPERVISORY EMPLOYEES WITH 2 HOURS OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT TRAINING WITHIN 6 MONTHS OF HIRE. IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT TRAINING BE REFRESHED EVERY 2 YEARS.
  • FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE SEE THE MAINE EMPLOYMENT LAWS REVISED STATUTE TITLE 26, SECTION 807.

CALIFORNIA LAWS

  • IN 2005 CALIFORNIA MADE IT MANDATORY FOR SUPERVISORY EMPLOYEES TO RECEIVE SEXUAL HARASSMENT TRAINING. FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE SEE CALIFORNIA ASSEMBLY BILL 1825.
  • THERE WERE SUBSEQUENT BILLS THAT WERE PASSED TO INCREASE PREVENTION AND INCLUDE SEXUAL ORIENTATION AND GENDER IDENTITY. FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE SEE CALIFORNIA ASSEMBLY BILL 2053 AND CALIFORNIA SENATE BILL 396.
  • ANY BUSINESS WITH 50 OR MORE WORKERS MUST PROVIDE SUPERVISORY EMPLOYEES WITH 2 HOURS OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT TRAINING WITHIN 6 MONTHS OF HIRE. TRAINING MUST BE REFRESHED EVERY 2 YEARS.
  • CALIFORNIA EMPLOYERS WITH AT LEAST 5 EMPLOYEES MUST PROVIDE SEXUAL HARASSMENT PREVENTION TRAINING AND EDUCATION TO ALL SUPERVISORY EMPLOYEES AND NON-SUPERVISORY EMPLOYEES STARTING JANUARY 1, 2020.

LGBT RIGHTS PROTECTED IN CALIFORNIA

  • HARASSMENT OF TRANSGENDER EMPLOYEES IS TREATED THE SAME AS SEXUAL HARASSMENT OF ANY INDIVIDUAL WHO CONFORMS THE FORMER DEFINITIONS OF GENDER.
  • COMPANY POLICIES MUST NOW EXPRESSLY INCLUDE TRANSGENDER EMPLOYEES. EMPLOYERS MUST RESPECT THE EMPLOYEE’S RIGHT TO CHOOSE THE RESTROOM OF THEIR PREFERENCE.
  • EMPLOYER’S MUST ADDRESS TRANSGENDER EMPLOYEES BY THEIR CHOSEN NAME AND USE A UNIVERSAL DRESS CODE WHICH DOES NOT DISCRIMINATE AGAINST TRANSGENDER EMPLOYEES.
  • ALSO, EMPLOYERS MUST NOT REQUIRE PROOF OF SEX AS A CONDITION OF EMPLOYMENT.
  • FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE SEE CALIFORNIA SENATE BILL 396, EFFECTIVE JANUARY 1, 2018, WHICH PROTECTS TRANSGENDER EMPLOYEES AND DEFINES WHO IS INCLUDED IN THE TERM “TRANSGENDER”