Harassment prevention and training
Half a dozen states now require sexual harassment training on a set cadence. Ask HR AI helps you build a program that satisfies each statute and preserves the Faragher/Ellerth affirmative defense.
What Ask HR AI covers
- State training mandates (CA SB 1343, NY, IL, CT, DE, ME, WA)
- Written anti-harassment policy content
- Multiple complaint channels and non-retaliation
- Faragher/Ellerth affirmative defense elements
"Build a harassment training schedule for a company with staff in CA, NY, IL, and Texas."
Ask this in Ask HR AIHow to stand up a compliant harassment prevention program
- Step 1 — Publish a written anti-harassment policy. Cover protected classes, prohibited conduct, complaint channels, and non-retaliation.
- Step 2 — Offer multiple complaint channels. Give employees at least two people they can report to, in and outside the chain of command.
- Step 3 — Train on the required cadence. Meet state-specific training length, audience, and frequency requirements.
- Step 4 — Investigate every complaint promptly. Follow the workplace-investigations workflow and document intake, findings, and remediation.
- Step 5 — Track completions and refresh. Maintain training records for the retention period required by each state.
Frequently asked questions
Which states require harassment prevention training?
California, New York, Illinois, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, and Washington all mandate sexual harassment training on defined schedules — most on a 1- or 2-year cycle for supervisors and often for all employees.
How often must California employers train?
Every two years, with new hires trained within six months. Supervisors need 2 hours; non-supervisors need 1 hour.
What is the Faragher/Ellerth defense?
An affirmative defense available to employers who exercised reasonable care to prevent and correct harassment and where the employee unreasonably failed to use the complaint process.
Related Ask HR AI topics
- I-9 and work authorization — Form I-9 completion, remote verification, re-verification, E-Verify, and how to respond to a Notice of Inspection without creating a discrimination claim.
- Employee handbook essentials — Handbook policies that reduce risk in every state — from at-will disclaimers to social media, remote work, and NLRA-compliant conduct rules.
- Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) — PWFA reasonable accommodations for pregnancy, childbirth, and related conditions, plus PUMP Act lactation obligations and state overlays.
- Retaliation claims — The most common EEOC charge — how to identify protected activity, avoid materially adverse actions, and document non-retaliatory decisions.
Harassment prevention and training by state
Ask HR AI applies the harassment prevention and training rules for every U.S. state. Popular state pages:
- Harassment prevention and training in California
- Harassment prevention and training in New York
- Harassment prevention and training in Texas
- Harassment prevention and training in Florida
- Harassment prevention and training in Illinois
- See all 50 states + DC
Compare Ask HR AI
Keep going on SafestHires
- All HR resources — calculators, templates, and the full Ask HR AI hub.
- Compliance checklist — the end-to-end FCRA, ban-the-box, and adverse action workflow.
- SafestHires blog — deeper dives on the topics above.
Ask HR AI is not legal advice. Confirm any final answers or suggested actions with your employment legal counsel before acting on them.