In light of the #MeToo movement, there has been a heavy push to design policies that help to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace. Since 2017, the rate of sexual harassment lawsuits has increased more than 12 percent, a massive jump to a statistic that had gone largely unchanged for the previous five years. That increase has pushed many states to add new laws requiring preventive training.
Workplace harassment prevention training helps to ensure employees understand sexual harassment laws, avoid demoralization in the workplace, minimize legal liability, and avoid negative public attention and monetary damages that may be awarded in litigation.
Implementing and staying up to date on these policies is easier for large corporations than it is for small, independent businesses. But if you’re an independent business owner, don’t panic. We’re outlining the states these new harassment prevention laws are impacting and how you can stay compliant.
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States Where Harassment Prevention Training is Not Required:Â
Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming |
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States Where Anti-Harassment Training of Some Form is Required:
California |
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Colorado |
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Connecticut |
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Delaware |
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District of Columbia |
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Illinois |
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Maine |
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Massachusetts |
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New York State |
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New York City |
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Rhode Island |
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Vermont |
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Washington |
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Sources:Â