Sexual Harassment Training

Train employees and keep your company compliant

Sexual harassment training requirements vary by state

Sexual harassment laws in the United States are set at a state level, meaning compliance requirements for private sector employers differ based on the locations of their employees.

Seven states (California, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, New York, Washington) and the District of Columbia mandate sexual harassment trainings for some or all private sector employers and employees. You can read about each law in more detail here.

An additional four states (Colorado, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont) “encourage” but do not require it.

For the remaining 39 states, anti-harassment training is considered a “best practice.”

Rippling helps you stay compliant

Of the states that mandate training, the requirements for training content, length, and frequency vary. Rippling’s Learning Management System comes pre-loaded with four versions of the same core course that collectively cover the requirements of all locations, along with recommended enrollment rule configurations to ensure that each employee gets enrolled into the correct course version.

features

Streamlined training and automated compliance

Ready-to-go interactive courses

Rippling offers harassment training that is in compliance with the current states that require it. Rest easy knowing your employees are always up-to-date with the latest trainings, as required by each state.

Preconfigured compliance

Unlike other systems, Rippling automatically assigns your employees in states that require training. If an employee switches states, Rippling will automatically assign them a new course.

Cloud-based training

All courses in Rippling are web-based and can be accessed through a computer or phone, so your employees can easily complete required trainings at their own convenience.

State-specific requirements for private sector employees

statewide

California

Effective date: January 1, 2019

Employers affected: Employers with five or more employees, including temporary or seasonal workers

Employers must provide at least two hours of sexual harassment training to all employees with supervisor duties and at least one hour of training to all employees without supervisor duties by January 1, 2020—and once every two years after that.

Read the law

statewide

Connecticut

Effective date: October 1, 2019

Employers affected: Employers with three or more employees

Employers must provide at least two hours of training to all employees by October 1, 2020, or within six months of hiring thereafter.

Read the law

statewide

Delaware

Effective date: January 1, 2019

Employers affected: Employers with 50 or more employees in Delaware

Employers must train new employees within a year of their start date and every two years after that.

Read the law

districtwide

District of Columbia

Effective date: October 30, 2020

Employers affected: Employers that have tipped employees

Employers must provide sexual harassment training to all employees by October 30, 2022, or within 90 days of hiring thereafter.

Read the law

statewide

Illinois

Effective date: January 1, 2020

Employers affected: All employers

Employers must provide sexual harassment training at least once per year. They can use the model sexual harassment prevention training developed by the Illinois Department of Human Rights or develop their own sexual harassment prevention training program, so long as it complies with the Illinois Human Rights Act.

Read the law

statewide

Maine

Effective date: November 1, 2017

Employers affected: Employers with 15 or more employees

Employers must use a checklist developed by the Maine Department of Labor to create the sexual harassment training program they will use. Every employee must be trained within one year of their start date.

Read the law

statewide

New York

Effective date: April 12, 2018

Employers affected: All employers

Employers must provide employees with annual, interactive sexual harassment training. The training needs to include an explanation of sexual harassment, examples of conduct that amounts to sexual harassment, and the ways employees can report sexual harassment.

Read the law

citywide

New York City

Effective date: April 1, 2019

Employers affected: Employers with more than 15 employees

Employers must train every employee within 90 days of their hiring. The training must include an explanation of sexual harassment, the employer's complaint process, bystander intervention, and the responsibilities of supervisors and managers.

Read the law

statewide

Washington

Effective date: January 1, 2020

Employers affected: Employers in certain industries, like hotels, motels, retail corporations, security guard entities, and property service contractors

Employers must provide qualifying employees with a specified list of assault and harassment prevention resources and a panic button, and must meet the record keeping requirements. All training must occur by January 1, 2020 or January 1, 2021, depending on the employer’s type of business.

Read the law