As the calendar changes, employers need to be aware of the changes to California law going into effect this year. Here is an important one:
Effective January 1, 2019, all employers with 5 or more employees must provide at least 2 hours of sexual harassment prevention training to all supervisors and at least one hour of training to non-supervisory employees by January 1, 2020. This training must be provided within 6 months of the assumption of the position. After January 1, 2020, this training must be provided every 2 years. The law and regulations regarding this required training establishes guidelines and standards of what the training needs to include and how records that the training took place are to be maintained.
This is an important new requirement for many California employers because it applies to employers with five or more employees, which is much more inclusive than previous mandatory employee training laws. The law also uses a very expansive definition of “employee” that includes independent contractors. That definition has to be used in calculating whether an employer is subject to this law as well who the employer needs to train.
Please contact us if you have any questions regarding implementation of this new law.