States with Mandatory Employee Anti-Harassment and Discrimination Training
This chart is a summary of key requirements. It does not include important details. Refer to state notes below for government-issued information. Nothing we present here should be construed as legal advice; consult with legal counsel as to employer obligations and worker rights.
State/City | Excepted Employers | Workers to Be Trained | Training Time | Recurrent Training? | Must Refer to State Remedies? | Must Train Company Policy? | Record-Keeping? |
California | <5 workers | supervisors & managers | 2 hours | 2 years | Yes | Yes | 2 years |
all others | 1 hour |
Connecticut | no exceptions | supervisors & managers | 2 hours | 3 years | Yes | Yes | 1 year |
<3 workers | all employees |
Delaware | <50 workers | all | | 2 years | Yes | Yes | |
Illinois | no exceptions | all | | Annual | Yes | | |
Maine | <15 workers | all | | | Yes | Yes | 3 years |
New York State | no exceptions | all | | Annual | Yes | Yes | Encouraged |
New York City; NY State rules also apply | <15 workers | all | | Annual | Yes | Yes | 3 years |
GISTnet provides discrimination and harassment prevention training using Traliant video-enhanced interactive modules.
In addition to U.S. Federal law prohibiting employment-related harassment and discrimination, many states also have laws which increase Federal standards and requirements. At this time (February, 2020), California, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, New York and New York City mandate that training be provided to all employees, though requirements vary. Of course, training in this topic is a good practice everywhere in order to promote compliance with Federal and state law as well as implementing company policy.
Because topics that must be trained and/or duration of training varies by state, we provide several state variations of the core training to which can be added a company-specific module to teach and record understanding of company policy and state/city remedies. Employers need to add a custom module for workers in California, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, New York, and New York City. To add this employer-specific module, contact us. We will need a short statement of company policy concerning your procedure for a worker who experiences harassment or discrimination to report this to your company. We can also add links to the various state agencies (remedies), as required by some jurisdictions. We do not charge in advance for this customization, but this additional module will add a small additional charge, typically $1 or less, per student assignment.
All required record-keeping, and notifications to company training administrators and others when refresher training is coming due, are included in the course fee.
Here is additional information and links to respective official information concerning mandatory Anti-Harassment and Discrimination training.
- Applies to employers with 5 or more full-time or part-time workers, including direct employees, unpaid interns, volunteers, independent contractors, seasonal workers, and any person acting as an agent of an employer, directly or indirectly.
- Initial training must be provided within 6 months of employment, except for seasonal, temporary workers, who must be trained within 30 days after hire.
- Student must have access to an expert to answer questions within 2 business days.
- Notice of company policy and training must be provided to employees at time of hire, and should also be covered in training.
- More information:
- Applies to employers with 50 or more full-time or part-time direct employees, but not independent contractors nor individuals employed less than six months continuously.
- Mandatory training currently applies only to supervisors and managers, but new rules are pending to extend training to all employees.
- More information: Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities, Sexual Harassment Posting and Training Requirements, § 46a-54-200-207
- Applies to employers with 50 or more direct employees, unpaid interns, joint employees, and apprentices, but not independent contractors.
- Initial training must be provided within 12 months of hire date, with annual recurrent training.
- More information:
Implementation regulations pending.
- Applies to all employers and to all direct employees and unpaid interns, but not to independent contractors.
- Initial training must be provided within 30 days of hire date and annually thereafter.
More information: Pending.
- Applies to employers with 15 or more employees.
- Initial training must be provided within 12 months of hire date.
- More information:
- Applies to all employers regardless of number of employees. Training must be provided to all exempt and non-exempt employees, part-time workers, seasonal workers, and temporary workers, regardless of immigration status. Independent contractors, vendors and consultants do not require training.
- Initial training must be provided within 12 months of hire date. Annual recurrent training also required.
- Managers and supervisors must be provided with additional training on their responsibilities under company policy and procedures.
- More information:
- Applies to all employers with 15 or more employees, but NY State also applies, and therefore training by all employers is required. Training must be provided to all full-time and part-time workers, seasonal workers, and temporary workers, regardless of immigration status. Independent contractors are treated as employees under NY City law, and must be trained.
- Initial training must be provided after 90 days from initial hire. Annual recurrent training also required.
- Training must be provided in both English and Spanish.
- Training must include information concerning bystander intervention.
- Managers and supervisors must be provided with additional training on their responsibilities under company policy and procedures.
- More information: