Requirements for sexual harassment training are federally mandated, but vary widely from state to state. While some states have no such requirement, all officially recommend employee training in sexual harassment. If your company winds up facing a lawsuit, proving that you required employees to participate in sexual harassment training could be a mitigating circumstance.
Currently, 18 states mandate some type of sexual harassment training: California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and Washington. California training sexual harassment laws require employees with 50 or more employees to provide a two hour mandatory training to supervisors. This must happen within six months of that person becoming a supervisor. All public employees in California must also complete sexual harassment training, regardless of their numbers.
In Oklahoma, training requirements only pertain to state employees who investigate discrimination complains. In Connecticut, employers with three or more employees must provide sexual harassment training to everybody employed. Several states require sexual harassment training for all state employees. States may also require regular refresher courses, such as every two years. These laws may change rapidly, so it’s important to stay on top of requirements in your state.