Illinois State Sexual Harassment Training Requirements

Illinois State Sexual Harassment Training Requirements:

Beginning January 1, 2020, a new law under the Workplace Transparency Act will require companies with more than 15 employees to provide annual training on recognizing and preventing sexual harassment in the workplace. Furthermore, as of July 1st, 2020, employers with at least one employee must comply with the law as well requiring any and all employees to complete sexual harassment training each year. Another important component is the sexual harassment training must be “interactive”.  Often this includes case studies, questions and answers, role plays and other methods that create communication and interaction.

The training must include definitions of sexual harassment, examples of conduct that is unlawful and examples of appropriate and inappropriate conduct by supervisors. The training must spell out the responsibilities the employer has in handling claims, employees’ rights and remediation steps, as well as an overview of state and federal laws regarding sexual harassment. Employers that do not comply with the new law will face steep fines or penalties. For more, check out the story from the Chicago Tribune. 

The EEOC is the federal governing body that describes and enforces sexual harassment and discrimination laws. According to the EEOC sexual harassment and other forms of employment discrimination violate Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, (ADEA), and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, (ADA).

In 2018 the EEOC found that out of 4,444 workplace discrimination charges, 33.4 percent were related to sexual harassment.
There are a number of steps the EEOC recommends that employers take to reduce their chances of liability for sexual harassment claims.

1. Implementing a strong and well understood sexual harassment policy.
2. Providing a robust sexual harassment training program for training employees and supervisors.
3. Establishing an effective complaint and grievance process, within which the employees do not have to fear retaliation.
4. An employer should act Immediately to investigate any complaint or grievance.
5. The employer should take immediate steps such as disciplinary action to stop harassment.
6. Employees should be encouraged to confront the harasser directly and inform them that the conduct is inappropriate as well as informing management and Human Resources

Sexual Harassment Training Tip: Prevention is the BEST tool.

By ensuring that employees understand and are well trained in workplace sexual harassment policies, employers can greatly reduce their chances of being liable for monetary damages in sexual harassment cases.