Sexual harassment prevention training is becoming mandatory for members of Congress and their staffs, and at least 27 states are also requiring some form of it.
But the state-level training is mostly only a requirement for public employees. Just five have mandatory training for both private and public workers, according to the National Women’s Law Center.
The U.S. House of Representatives will vote today to require workplace sexual harassment prevention training for all members and their staffs. The move comes after the Senate passed a similar measure earlier in November.
Does the training help?
Maya Raghu, Director of Workplace Equality at the National Women’s Law Center said a few studies that have been done show it’s not that effective.
The issue is complex because some trainings are simply not created properly.
A 10-minute video, for example, may not be effective compared to a lengthier, live-training that’s interactive, Raghu said. A training that doesn’t explain how to report workplace sexual harassment and what happens in an investigation process is also a bad way to go about it, Raghu said.
States with mandatory training, private and public
California
Connecticut
Maine
South Dakota (some state contractors only)
Washington (state contractors only)
States with mandatory training for all public-sector employees/supervisors
Illinois
Iowa
Louisiana
Nevada
New York
North Carolina
Pennsylvania
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
States with mandatory training for only some public-sector employees/supervisors
Alaska
Arkansas
Florida
Hawaii
Idaho
Maryland
Mississippi
Missouri
New Mexico
Oklahoma
Rhode Island
No mandatory training requirement on workplace sexual harassment
Arizona
Colorado
Delaware
District of Columbia
Georgia
Indiana
Kansas
Kentucky
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Montana
Nebraska
New Hampshire
New Jersey
North Dakota
Ohio
Oregon
South Carolina
Vermont
Virginia
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming
Note: Some of these states have voluntary guidance urging employers to conduct trainings (not mandatory)
Source: National Women’s Law Center
