State-Specific Anti-Harassment Training [+ More]

Do you know all the rules for regulating inappropriate behavior in the United States workplace? You may need to think twice about saying yes! A state-specific anti-harassment training program and other regional requirements mean that company policy and federal laws are just the starting point. Each state (and even some cities, such as New York City) has its unique set of specific requirements, demanding a tailored approach to compliance training that aligns perfectly with local regulations. 

Anti-harassment compliance training is a good example of this. The specific laws covering anti-harassment policies in the workplace look different in, say, California than in Rhode Island. HSI helps many companies with state- and city-specific content for anti-harassment training to comply with the specific requirements. Employment discrimination training is another good example. 

How is State-Specific Anti-Harassment Training Different from HR Compliance Training?  

A state-specific anti-harassment training program focuses on the unique harassment-related laws and regulations of each state, whereas HR Compliance training covers a broad spectrum of employment-related laws and company policies.  

What is the Purpose of State-Specific Anti-Harassment Training? 

A state-specific training program aims to educate employees about their specific state's harassment laws and practices. Such training helps companies create a respectful and compliant work environment. Training often includes forms of harassment and detailed guidance on handling workplace harassment issues under local regulations. Please take note that this training is not just for new employees.   

What States and Cities Currently Have Sexual Harassment Prevention Training Requirements? 

First off, what exactly is the definition of sexual harassment? Sexual harassment includes a range of behaviors from unwelcome flirtation to forced sexual activity. Harassment doesn’t have to be of a sexual nature. It can vary from offensive generalizations, comments, or jokes about a person’s sex or gender identity. 

Click here to see what states and cities currently have sexual harassment prevention training requirements. Beyond this list, other federal, state, and local laws, regulations, and court decisions indicate that employers should provide anti-harassment training to all employees, in all states. 

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recommends that employers, in all states, should provide training to all employees to ensure they understand their rights and responsibilities. 

Why are Anti-Harassment Workplace Training Requirements Complicated? 

Different state laws are complicated as many states have specific requirements. In addition, state employees and managers have unique and specific training requirements. Who needs to take the training varies from state to state as well. For instance, are your independent contractors and seasonal employees required to take the state-specific anti-harassment courses? And are the laws different for private employers vs. public companies? As you can see, training requirements are not straight forward.   

For instance, in Illinois, it’s pretty complex! 

All employees in all industries must have annual training that focuses on the following: 

• Explanation of sexual harassment 
• Examples of conduct that constitutes unlawful sexual harassment
• Summary of federal and state statutes, including remedies available to victims 
• Summary of employer responsibilities for preventing, investigating, and correcting sexual harassment 

Further, all employees who work in restaurants and bars must have: 

• Industry-specific sexual harassment training that’s available in both English and Spanish 

How Does Anti-Harassment Training Help Your Culture? 

Building a workplace free of harassment is everyone’s responsibility and requires knowledge, commitment, and vigilance. Effective training empowers employees and managers at all levels with the skills to identify harassment and react effectively. Training teaches employees how to identify harassment, what bystander intervention means, and what to do if they are the target of harassment.  

Through effective anti-harassment training learners deeply understand what constitutes harassment and how to respond, fostering a safe and inclusive workplace culture.  

HSI Can Help with State-Specific Anti-Harassment Training! 

Is your head spinning? Are you overwhelmed trying to grasp the differences between California law and New York State law? Don’t fret... we are the subject matter experts in advising companies on what required training is needed, how frequently, how many hours of training, and specifically who in your organization must take the training. Our training meets all state-specific compliance training requirements. Simply having employees view the training meets each state’s requirement.  

HSI is your single-source provider! We have online training for everyone required to take it and can help you set up best practices. We’re here from the initial training and on.   

To learn more about HSI’s online training specifically for your state, click here to download the list of state-specific anti-harassment training courses. 

Here’s an example of our state-specific anti-harassment courses for Illinois.  

HSI Can Help You Take State-Specific Anti-Harassment Training a Step Further 

HSI takes training a step further and sets us apart from our competitors by offering three modalities.  

• Video-based courses are designed to mimic the feel of in-person training. Presenters, combined with animations, support engagement and retention. In a video course, all learning takes place in the video, not requiring the learner to click from one page to the next. 

Want to get a flavor for our HR Compliance training videos? Click here. Our free videos include Anti-Harassment for Investigating Complaints, Avoiding Discrimination: 5 Keys, Fair Labor and Standards Act for Employees, and Working Well with Everyone: What is Diversity? 

• Interactive training courses feature navigation inside the course with clickable objects, and practice exercises where learners drag items or select the correct answer. These courses include a threaded storyline to engage the employee and illustrate learning points. 

Some of our customers use interactive training courses for the compliance requirements and then assign the video-based, online training as a refresher throughout the year or as additional training if an incident occurs. This keeps the content fresh and provides learners with a well-rounded perspective.  

• Learning Pathways not only checks the box but helps change workplace culture. This is a great way to share the courses with all employees and include state-specific content if applicable.  

Our Anti-Harassment Learning Pathway covers building awareness, with courses such as How to Recognize Bullying at Work and Making Civility a Standard Practice. Application courses include courses such as Ethics @ Work Creating a Speak-Up Culture. And, finally, after the series of courses to help build awareness and show how the learning is applied, we have courses for learners to expand their knowledge. For example, the lesson Feeling 1,000 Papercuts: Unintentional Consequences in Conversation helps learners recognize microaggressions and what to do if they’ve inadvertently perpetrated them. We also provide supplemental learning materials to help employees put learning into action with Leadership Briefs and job aids that offer practical tips for how to promote healthy behaviors and identify and intervene during abusive conduct.

Watching these types of courses can be mentally exhausting. To help reduce learner fatigue, organizations can alternate which modality is assigned to employees each year. HSI updates our content regularly and by alternating the modalities on an annual basis, the likelihood of seeing new content is high. 

Change Your Culture 

Please don’t look at these trainings with a “checkbox” mentality. Workplace harassment and discrimination are widespread problems. The issue with the “checkbox” mentality is that it doesn’t stop these problems. Doing the bare minimum has not prevented inappropriate behavior, such as discrimination because of one’s sexual orientation, race, disability, or age. That’s more reason to put good, quality anti-harassment and anti-discrimination training in place. 

Take the necessary steps and comply to avoid legal liabilities.  Schedule a consultation to learn more.  

Additional Information  

• How to Make Compliance Training Memorable
• Why Compliance Training is More Than a Checkbox
• A Comprehensive Guide to Anti-Harassment Training Programs