Employment Law Bulletin | December 2018

New Sexual Harassment Prevention Training Requirements in 2019

The new year brings several new employment laws arising out of the MeToo movement, including new requirements for sexual harassment prevention training.  The changes are outlined below:

• Employers with 5 or more employees must provide training in the prevention of sexual harassment. (Previous law required training only if an employer had 50 or more employees.)
• Sexual harassment prevention training must be provided to all employees – 2 hours of training for supervisors and 1 hour of training for non-supervisors. (Previous law only required training of supervisors.)
• The training must be completed by 1/1/2020, and is required every two years thereafter.
• The training must occur within 6 months of the start of employment (for new hires), or the assumption of a supervisory position (for promoted employees).

The new law requires the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) to develop and make available on its website the one-hour and two-hour anti-sexual harassment training courses for supervisory and non-supervisory employees.  Training webinars are available at https://www.dfeh.ca.gov/resources and cost $55 per employee.  Employers may also purchase or develop their own training programs, as long as they comply with the requirements of the law.  SMT employment attorneys can also provide onsite training customized to the needs of your business.

No Se Habla Español?

SMT’s employment attorneys can provide your company with employment policies, forms and employee disciplinary documentation in Spanish.  Providing such important information to employees in the language they understand is critical to employee performance, providing a welcoming diverse work environment, and protecting your company against employment claims.  Contact an SMT attorney today to get started.

Spaulding McCullough & Tansil LLP
Employment Law Group

Jan Gabrielson Tansil  | Lisa Ann Hilario | Kari Brown