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How California’s Sexual Harassment Prevention Training Benefits Employees and Employers
Per California law, most employers in the state must provide their employees with training designed to educate and prevent sexual harassment and abusive conduct in the workplace. For employers, creating a compliant training program can take time to fully understand all the rules and required topics.
California employers with five or more employees must provide sexual harassment training
Training must be given within six months of hire, with retraining every two years
Supervisors require two or more hours of training; non-supervisors require one or more hours
Training must address harassment based on gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation
In this guide, we’ll cover which employers must offer this training, the required content topics, and how often it must be provided.
Although it’s a sensitive topic, providing sexual harassment training raises awareness among employees about how their behavior impacts coworkers and helps prevent incidents. California law also mandates that certain employers provide this training to their workforce.
Employers with five or more employees must train all employees and supervisors within six months of their start date, then retrain every two years. Once training is completed, refresher courses are not required until after two years.
Supervisory employees
Must complete at least two hours of classroom or interactive training on sexual harassment and abusive conduct prevention.
New supervisors must be trained within six months of starting their supervisory role.
Non-supervisory employees
Must complete at least one hour of classroom or interactive training.
New non-supervisory employees must be trained within six months of hire.
Yes. Temporary or seasonal workers, or anyone hired for less than six months, must be trained within 30 calendar days of hire or within 100 hours worked, whichever comes first.
Training must include practical examples of harassment based on gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation, and cover:
Definition of sexual harassment under the Fair Employment and Housing Act and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act
Relevant statutes and case law
Types of conduct constituting sexual harassment
Remedies available for victims
Prevention strategies
Supervisors’ obligation to report harassment
Practical examples of harassment
Confidentiality limits in complaint processes
Resources for victims, including reporting procedures
Employer’s responsibility to correct harassing behavior
What to do if a supervisor is accused of harassment
Elements of an effective anti-harassment policy and how to use it
Definition of abusive conduct under Government Code section 12950.1, subdivision (g)(2)
Finally, training must include learning assessments, skill-building activities, and hypothetical scenarios with discussion questions.
California employers must retain records of employee training for at least two years, including:
Names of employees trained
Dates training was completed
Copies of certificates of attendance or completion
Copies of all training materials (written or recorded)
Name of the training provider
Providing sexual harassment prevention training benefits both employees and employers by promoting respectful workplace behavior and ensuring compliance with California law. If you have questions about training or need assistance, Beyond is here to help.
