Illinois
What do you need to know? – It’s Mandatory.
ALERT on Sexual Harassment Prevention Training Law in Chicago: Effective July 1, 2022 section 6-010-040 (b)(1)(C) of the Chicago Human Rights Ordinance requires that an employer maintaining a business facility within the geographic boundaries of Chicago must provide employees with sexual harassment prevention training annually.
ALERT on Sexual Harassment Prevention Training Law: Public Act 101-0221 amended the Illinois Human Rights Act (“IHRA”) requiring: Illinois employers to provide annual sexual harassment prevention training by December 31, 2020 and annually thereafter.
Training Requirements
All employers in Illinois, regardless of size, must train all employees and managers on sexual harassment prevention every year.
Our course is compliant with section 2-109 of IHRA:
Additionally, owners of restaurants and bars are now required to provide sexual harassment training annually to all employees (regardless of employee classification). The training must be available in both English and Spanish.
Penalties for Not Complying
Employers who do not provide compliant training will be subject to fines:
- $500 for businesses with less than four employees
- $1,000 for businesses with four or more employees.
Penalties for subsequent violations can rise to as much as $5,000 per violation.
Additionally, employers who don’t provide the required training will have a more difficult time defending themselves in the event of a sexual harassment lawsuit. They will be unable to demonstrate that they took “reasonable steps” to prevent sexual harassment from occurring.
