Since 2005, California’s Assembly Bill 1825 had required employers with 50 or more employees to train and educate their supervisory employees in the prevention of sexual harassment. The #MeToo movement has renewed the attention on sexual harassment in the workplace. As part of the 2018 legislature, Governor Brown signed Senate Bill 1343 into law which went into effect on January 1, 2019. The new law requires employers with five or more employees to provide sexual harassment training to all employees (both supervisory and non-supervisory) by January 1, 2020. Employers must then provide the training to each employee in California once every two years.
What you need to know:
- By January 1, 2020, employers with five or more employees must provide: (1) at least two hours of sexual harassment prevention training to all supervisory employees; and (2) at least one hour of sexual harassment prevention training to all non-supervisory employees in California within six months of their assumption of either a supervisory or non-supervisory position. The training must be provided once every two years thereafter.
- Seasonal and temporary employees, or any employee whose job is for less than six months, must be provided with the training within 30 calendar days after their hire date or within 100 hours worked, whichever happens first.
- Sexual harassment prevention training may be conducted individually or as a group, and may be broken up into shorter time segments, as long as the requirement of (2) two hours for supervisors and (1) hour for non-supervisory employees is met.
- Employers are required to provide the training to all employees by January 1st, 2020 deadline.
- DFEH (The Department of Fair Employment and Housing) must develop training courses for supervisory and non-supervisory employees and make them available on its website. Employers may develop their own training platforms or use those of the experienced training providers, such as the California Employers Association.
CBR (Creative Business Resources) is Here to Help!
Senate Bill 1343 requires all employers, large and small, to train all of their employees in 2019. Now is the time for employers to consult a trusted HR expert and ensure that their policies and procedures regarding workplace harassment are up to date.
Employers should not simply “check the box” when it comes to sexual harassment training. All training must meet the needs of your particular company, as well as the type of employee being trained. Every employee that undergoes training needs to understand what sexual harassment is, what the law requires, how to report it, and your company’s policy, reporting procedures, and resources. Supervisory level employees need additional information on their prevention obligations. These include, but not limited to handling complaints, investigations, and corrective actions. Interactive training with examples can help flesh out those grey areas that employees and managers often struggle with and is beneficial in meeting your prevention goals.
At CBR, our team of experienced HR professionals will help your organization take the necessary steps to become fully compliant with new legislation, and up-to-date on ongoing changes within your state. Our qualified trainers offer harassment training, which is customized to suit your organization’s needs and may be conducted at your site or via webinar. Additionally, we offer thorough and objective investigations of harassment claims and recommend disciplinary action if necessary.
Call CBR today at (602) 200-8500 or contact us online to discuss your needs with one of our HR experts!
Sources: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201720180SB1343, https://www.calpublicagencylaboremploymentblog.com/harassment/dfeh-provides-guidance-on-impact-of-new-sb-1343-harassment-training-requirements-some-questions-answered-many-still-remain-including-possibility-that-all-supervisory-and-nonsupervisory-emp/,