New Sexual Harassment Prevention Training Laws in 2019

California employers with at least five employees must now provide sexual harassment prevention training and education to all supervisory employees and non-supervisory employees in California.

Since 2005, employers with at least 50 employees have been required to train and educate all personnel in supervisory positions in California in the prevention of sexual harassment.

SB 1343 lowers the number of employees to five and includes non-supervisors in the mandate.

The new law also requires covered employers to provide at least two hours of sexual harassment prevention training and education to all supervisory employees and at least one hour of such training to all non-supervisory employees in California, by January 1, 2020. Training and education must be provided once every two years thereafter.  There are also new requirements for seasonal and temporary employees.

The new legislation mandates the DFEH to develop and make available online on its website the one-hour and two-hour anti-sexual harassment training courses.  Employers may develop their own training programs.

There are other rules and matters to consider this year for employers to be in compliance with SB 1343.  We anticipate claims for harassment of all kinds will be on the rise.

By: Roy Schneider, Esq.