California
2019 Training Requirements for All Employees

In calendar year 2019, California employers with five (5) or more employees must provide training regarding sexual harassment to all employees – supervisory and non-supervisory, per a new law signed on September 30, 2018. (Previously, training was required only for supervisors, and applied only to employers with 50 or more employees). Training may be conducted via classroom or by other effective interactive training.

Section 12950.1 of California’s Government Code, as modified by SB1343 (effective Jan 1, 2019) requires:

• All employees (supervisors and non-supervisors) must be trained during calendar year 2019.
• Those who were trained in 2018 or before will need to be retrained in 2019.
• All training must be completed by January 1, 2020. Thereafter, all employees (supervisors and non-supervisors) must be trained every two years.
• Supervisors must receive a minimum of two (2) hours of training every two years.
• Non-supervisors must receive a minimum of one (1) hour of training every two years.
• New employees (including supervisors) must be trained within six months of assuming a position.
• Beginning January 1, 2020, for Seasonal and temporary employees, or any employee that is hired to work for less than six months, an employer shall provide training within 30 calendar days after the hire date or within 100 hours worked, whichever occurs first.
• The training may be completed in shorter segments, as long as the applicable hourly total requirement is met.
• The training must include, but is not limited to:
  • Definition and prohibition of harassment under federal and state laws, including statutory provisions / case law principles
  • Types of conduct that constitute sexual harassment
  • Remedies available to victims
  • Potential liability of employers and individuals
  • Strategies to prevent sexual harassment
  • Supervisory obligations to report harassment
  • Practical examples – from real cases and/or hypotheticals
  • Limited confidentiality of complaint process
  • Resources for victims, including how to report and to whom
  • Employer’s obligation to conduct an effective investigation
  • For supervisors – What to do if personally accused
  • Elements of anti-harassment policy
  • Definition and examples of abusive behavior, as defined by California
  • Harassment based on gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation

​More Information

​Senate Bill 1343

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Government Code

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California Code of Regulations

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