Connecticut Employers: Don't Forget Your Harassment Training and Notice Requirements
As detailed in our prior advisory, per Connecticut's "Time's Up Act," all employers are now subject to mandatory anti-harassment and posting requirements. Even as many Connecticut employers have transitioned to remote work, they must remember to comply with these obligations and do their part to ensure that they provide a harassment-free workplace.
Training
By October 1, 2020, (1) all employers must provide two hours of sexual harassment prevention training to supervisors, and (2) employers with three or more employees must provide this training to all employees. Supplemental training must be provided at least every 10 years. Newly hired employees and supervisors must be trained within their first six months of employment.
The Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities (the Commission) has developed and made available—at no cost to employers—an interactive online training video. Employees who received training after October 1, 2018, that meets the requirements of the Time's Up Act do not need to be retrained.
Notice Requirements
Within three months of an employee's start date, employers with three or more employees must also provide employees "a copy of the information concerning the illegality of sexual harassment and remedies available to victims of sexual harassment."
This obligation can be satisfied either by: (1) Email (to the employee's work or personal account) with a subject line indicating that the email concerns the employer's sexual harassment policy; (2) Publishing the same information on the employer's Internet website; or (3) Providing employees with this link (sent by email, text message, or in writing) to the Commission's website.
Takeaways
Employers must ensure that they remain compliant with anti-harassment policies and practices; the virtual workplace is not immune to harassment, and the applicable regulations apply to remote workplaces.
DWT attorneys are available to help employers with their compliance efforts.