(Chicago) Today, the Illinois Department of Human Rights (IDHR) released its model Sexual Harassment Prevention Training program for Illinois employers in compliance with Public Act 101-0221 (commonly referred to as the Workplace Transparency Act).
“We cannot combat rampant sexual harassment in the workplace without substantive and accessible education,” said IDHR Director Jim Bennett. “The release of IDHR’s model sexual harassment prevention training is a major step in ensuring that every working person in Illinois understands the seriousness of sexual harassment. I urge all Illinois employers – small businesses and major corporations alike – to use this resource.”
Formerly Senate Bill 75, Public Act 101-0221 was signed into law by Governor Pritzker in August 2019. Under this Act, Illinois employers are required to train employees on sexual harassment prevention by December 31, 2020, and on an annual basis thereafter. This requirement applies to all employers with employees working in this State. Employers must either develop their own sexual harassment prevention training program that equals or exceeds the minimum standards for sexual harassment prevention training outlined in Section 2-109(B) of the Illinois Human Rights Act (IHRA), or they may use the model training provided by the IDHR.
In addition to providing the sexual harassment prevention training described above, restaurants and bars are required to provide supplemental sexual harassment prevention training that complies with Section 2-110 of the IHRA. Illinois restaurants and bars must either develop their own supplemental training or utilize the model training provided by the IDHR. The IDHR’s supplemental training model for restaurants and bars is forthcoming.
To download the model Sexual Harassment Prevention Training program or for more information, please visit IDHR’s Training Institute at www.illinois.gov/dhr/training.
The IDHR enforces the Illinois Human Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination in the contexts of employment, housing, financial credit, public accommodations, and sexual harassment in education. For more information, visit the IDHR homepage, Facebook.com/IllinoisDHR, Instagram @Illinois_DHR or Twitter @Illinois_DHR.
