Louisiana State Sexual Harassment Training Requirements

The EEOC is the federal governing body that describes and enforces sexual harassment and discrimination laws. Read more at (EEOC Harassment). 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 1,273 workplace discrimination charges in Louisiana, 34.5% were related to sexual harassment. These 439 cases constituted 1.8% of the total sexual harassment claims filed the the US in 2018.

In 2018, the state of Louisiana paid a $167,000 settlement to a former state employee who was sexually harassed by the former secretary of state. The case stated that he the harasser used government resources to follow the employee and someone she was dating. The harasser resigned from the Louisiana Legislature in May 2018, but the state was still found liable for damages. Read more about the story at the New Orleans Advocate Web Page. 

It was found that since 2009 the state of Louisiana has paid over 1.3 million dollars in settlements for sexual harassment cases. This cases demonstrates the need for better training for state employees and is in part what instigated the new laws on sexual harassment training for state employees. Find out more about these settlements.

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.