Indiana State Sexual Harassment Training Requirements

Sexual harassment and retaliation training is required for all government employee and managers. For more on workplace harassment in Indiana visit the Indian State Personnel Department Web Page.

The EEOC is the federal governing body that describes and enforces sexual harassment and discrimination laws. Read more at (EEOC Harassment). According to the EEOC sexual harassment and other forms of employment discrimination violate Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, (ADEA), and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, (ADA).

The EEOC found that in 2018, 33.8% of 1,890 workplace discrimination charges filed in Indiana were related to sexual harassment. These 639 charges constituted 2.5% of the total sexual harassment charges filed in the US that year.

In 2019, The town of North Liberty, Indiana paid a $12,000 settlement to resolve a sexual harassment case by the EEOC. They found that the complaining officer was harassed and was forced to resign due to retaliation for the complaint. The settlement also required the town to provide all of its employees with sexual discrimination and harassment training. This mandate underscores the importance of sexual harassment training and how it can reduce liability to companies and government organizations. Read more on the story Here.

There are a number of steps the EEOC recommends that employers take to reduce their chances of liability for sexual harassment claims.

1. Implementing a strong and well understood sexual harassment policy.
2. Providing a robust sexual harassment training program for training employees and supervisors.
3. Establishing an effective complaint and grievance process, within which the employees do not have to fear retaliation.
4. An employer should act Immediately to investigate any complaint or grievance.
5. The employer should take immediate steps such as disciplinary action to stop harassment.
6. Employees should be encouraged to confront the harasser directly and inform them that the conduct is inappropriate as well as informing management and Human Resources

Sexual Harassment Training Tip: Prevention is the BEST tool.

By ensuring that employees understand and are well trained in workplace sexual harassment policies, employers can greatly reduce their chances of being liable for monetary damages in sexual harassment cases.