DFEH INTRODUCES FREE ONLINE TRAINING TO PREVENT SEXUAL HARASSMENT IN THE WORKPLACE

Sacramento – The California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) today launched a free anti-sexual harassment training for non-supervisory employees. The online training, which is available through DFEH’s website (https://www.calcivilrights.ca.gov/shpt/), can be used to meet a legal requirement that, by January 1, 2021, employers having five or more employees must provide at least one hour of classroom or other effective interactive training and education regarding sexual harassment prevention to all non-supervisory employees in California. This legal requirement is contained in Government Code section 12950.1

“California has taken strong steps to eradicate workplace harassment based on gender, including requiring most employees in the state to receive sexual harassment prevention training,” said DFEH Director Kevin Kish. “In addition to enforcing the law, DFEH is pleased to provide training resources that will not only assist employers in meeting their legal obligations but also help create more respectful workplaces that are free of discrimination.”

DFEH’s new training is interactive and optimized for mobile devices and is accessible for persons with disabilities. The training is currently available in English and will be available in five additional languages in the coming months (Spanish, Simplified Chinese, Tagalog, Vietnamese, and Korean). In addition, in the coming months DFEH is planning to launch a similar online training for supervisors in California, who are required under Government Code section 12950.1 to complete two hours of training by January 1, 2021.

Using story-based learning, the training features numerous harassment scenarios drawn from real cases and representing a wide range of industries. It emphasizes the importance of creating and maintaining respectful workplaces and provides tools and strategies for bystanders to disrupt patterns of sexual harassment and other inappropriate behavior. The training also highlights the ways in which sexual harassment can intersect with other forms of discrimination, and includes a module on gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation

The training incorporates two short films written and directed by Sigal Avin, and Executive Produced by and starring David Schwimmer along with Zazie Beetz, Joseph Sikora and Grace Gummer

The California Civil Rights Department (CRD) is the state agency charged with enforcing California’s civil rights laws. CRD’s mission is to protect the people of California from unlawful discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodations, and state-funded programs and activities, and from hate violence and human trafficking. For more information, visit calcivilrights.ca.gov.

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