California Extends Employers’ Deadline to Institute Expanded Sexual Harassment Training

On August 30, 2019, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a law to amend California Government Code Section 12950.1, thereby extending California employers’ deadline to conduct most sexual harassment training required under that provision from January 1, 2020, until January 1, 2021.

Training Requirements under California Government Code Section 12950.1

California Government Code Section 12950.1 was enacted in September 2018 and took effect on January 1, 2019.

The law requires California employers with five or more employees to provide “at least two hours of classroom or other effective interactive training and education regarding sexual harassment” to all “supervisory employees” within six months of their “assumption of a supervisory position,” and “at least one hour of classroom or other effective interactive training and education regarding sexual harassment” to all “nonsupervisory employees” within six months of their hire.

The Recent Extension and Clarification of Section 12950.1

As initially written, the law allowed employers until January 1, 2020, to conduct the required training. However, the deadline has now been extended to January 1, 2021. The new version of the law also makes clear that the training must be provided once every two years, and employers who already provided this training and education in 2018 or 2019 need not do so again for most employees until two years from the date of such training.

However, for seasonal or temporary employees hired to work for less than six months, the revised law does not extend the January 1, 2020 deadline to provide the requisite training “within thirty calendar days after the hire date or within 100 hours worked, whichever occurs first.”

Please do not hesitate to contact any of our attorneys if you have any questions regarding this revised law.