DEADLINE EXTENDED: Required Sexual Harassment Prevention Training

by Denise Iavarone, Startup HR Generalist, Keating Consulting Group

As you may remember, back in May we notified you about new requirements in California to conduct mandatory harassment prevention training for all employees by the end of 2019.  Concerns from the business community about being able to meet this deadline were quickly addressed by Governor Newsom with SB 778, emergency “clean-up” legislation that took effect immediately in late August.  This new “clean-up” legislation extends the training deadline from January 1, 2020, to January 1, 2021.

SB 778 will allow those employers who trained employees in 2018 to keep to the two-year schedule and not train again until 2020.

Let’s recap some of the new (and old) requirements for you:

  • Applies to California employers with 5 or more employees (including part-time employees as well as temporary employees, either hired through agencies or as independent contractors).
  • All employees–supervisory and nonsupervisory–must be trained by January 1, 2021
    • Two hours of training for employees with supervisory authority*
    • One hour of training for nonsupervisory employees in California
  • Training must take place within six months of hire or promotion and every two years thereafter.
  • An employer with a multi-lingual workforce should take additional steps to ensure the training is clearly and effectively communicated to employees who speak a language other than English.  Policies should be translated and communicated in the languages spoken by the workforce.
  • Beginning January 1, 2020, seasonal and temporary employees who are hired to work for less than six months, must be trained within 30 calendar days after hire or within 100 hours worked, whichever occurs first.

*Remote supervisors located out of state who supervise California employees (or remote employees interacting with California employees) are included in the two-hour training requirement.

What do you need to do?

[UPDATED Sept 2020]

As a Keating client, we have you covered!  Reach out today to any team member who will put you in touch with our HR staff.  Our HR staff will review with you the training requirements and discuss anything specific going on in your workplace. We have several options we can recommend and help implement to get you in compliance, including online on-demand solutions.

Act now!

Email us at hr@keatingconsulting.com or at client.success@keatingconsulting.com for this or any other HR questions.