Anti-harassment laws are always changing. New requirements stemming from the #MeToo movement strengthen harassment protections, while others clear up ambiguities in laws that were passed in prior years
California employers with at least five employees—including temporary and seasonal workers—must provide two hours of sexual-harassment-prevention training for supervisors and one hour for all other employees every two years (or within six months for a new hire or a worker who is promoted to a supervisory position). The initial training must be completed by Jan. 1, 2020.
The CalChamber Whitepaper on CA 2019 Labor Laws outlines all the changes to California labor law enacted in 2019.
Previous law (2018) |
New Law - SB 1343 (2019) |
| Required for Employers with 50+ Employees | Required for Employers with 5+ Employees |
| Two Hours of Mandatory Training for Supervisors Only |
Two hours of Mandatory Training for Supervisors and One Hour of Mandatory Training for Non-Supervisors |
Also incorporated into the new bill are the following:
- Part-time and temporary employees, plus independent contractors count toward the minimum employee count of five employees.
- Training must occur within six months of the employee starting the position (and every two years thereafter).
- Sexual harassment prevention training may be conducted individually or as a group.
- Sexual harassment prevention training may be in conjunction with other training and may be given in shorter time segments, as long as the two-hour requirement for supervisory employees and the one-hour requirement for non-supervisory employees is met.
There is also a new requirement for temporary or seasonal employees. 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. In the case of a temporary employee employed by a temporary services employer (as defined by the Labor Code), to perform services for clients, the training must be provided by the temporary services employer, not the client.
To learn more about the how the California laws laws in effect on January 1, 2019 affect the following,
- Leaves of Absence and Benefits
- Hiring Practices - Salary History
- Discrimination, Harassment and Retaliation Protections
- Wage and Hour
- Workplace Health
download the CalChamber Whitepaper on CA 2019 Labor Laws by click the button below.
To request a quote for workplace harassment training provided by New Horizons, click here.