Sexual harassment training teaches employees and managers what harassment is, how to report it, and what happens after a report. Some states require it, and for employers everywhere it is part of showing that complaints are taken seriously.
| Topic | For everyone | Extra for managers |
|---|---|---|
| What harassment is | Real examples from similar workplaces | Recognizing it when nobody reports it |
| How to report | At least two routes, including one outside the chain of command | What to do in the first 24 hours |
| Retaliation | It is prohibited, and how to report it | Avoiding actions that look like retaliation |
| Bystanders | Simple ways to step in or report | Acting on what they see |
| Customers and vendors | Harassment by non-employees counts too | How to protect staff from customers |
Required training is working time for hourly employees, so schedule it during paid hours. Keep a completion record for each person.
EZTime digital HR forms let you send, sign and file employee documents online.
A restaurant group with 30 employees at two New York locations last ran harassment training three years ago, on paper, for whoever was on shift that day. Nine current employees have never done it.
The owner sets up the annual training using the state’s model materials, with examples from restaurants: comments from customers, behavior in the walk-in, after-shift drinks. Each person completes it during a paid shift within the same month, and managers do an extra session on handling reports. A completion list is kept by name and date.
All 30 complete it in four weeks. Two months later, a server reports a regular customer’s behavior through the second reporting route. The manager knows what to do, the customer is told not to return, and the report and response are documented.
Generic examples do not help a dishwasher or a night security guard recognize harassment in their job. Use scenarios from your own type of work, with names changed: a regular customer who comments on a server’s appearance, a supervisor who offers better shifts in exchange for attention, a group chat with sexual jokes. Ask participants what they would do and who they would tell.
Make reporting concrete. Show the actual names and contact methods for each reporting route, including at least one outside the chain of command, and explain what happens after a report. People report more when they know what will happen next.
A bar’s training includes a scenario about a regular who repeatedly touches servers. Servers say managers usually laugh it off because he spends a lot.
The owner writes a clear rule: any server can ask a manager to take over a table, and repeated harassment means the customer is asked to leave. Managers practice the conversation in the training. Two months later, a manager uses it, and servers say it is the first time they felt the policy was real.
Not by federal law itself, but several states require it. New York, for example, requires annual interactive training for all employees.
At least as often as your state requires. Annual training is common and is New York’s requirement.
Required training is generally working time for hourly employees and must be paid.
Examples, reporting routes, what happens after a report, protection against retaliation, bystander steps, and extra content for managers.
Yes. Managers need extra content on receiving reports, acting quickly and avoiding retaliation, in addition to what all employees learn.
Not always. Online or video training can work if it is interactive where required and lets people ask questions.
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