As previously reported, the City of Chicago has adopted several substantive amendments to the sexual harassment provisions of the Chicago Human Rights Ordinance, including new posting, policy and training requirements. The posting and policy language requirements took effect Friday, and the new trainings required under the ordinance must be completed by June 30, 2023.
Posters. The City has added the new poster to its website:
Per the ordinance, employers must post at least the English and Spanish versions of the poster.
Training modules. Template training modules for the on-hour all-employee sexual harassment prevention training, one-hour supervisory sexual harassment prevention training, and one-hour bystander intervention training have also been posted.
Written policy updates. In addition to the posting and training requirements described above, Chicago employers must also update their harassment policies to include the following elements:
- A statement that sexual harassment and retaliation for reporting sexual harassment are illegal in Chicago;
- The ordinance’s definition of sexual harassment;
- Examples of prohibited conduct that constitute sexual harassment;
- A requirement that all employees participate in one hour of sexual harassment prevention training and one hour of bystander intervention training annually;
- A requirement that supervisors and managers participate in an additional one hour of sexual harassment prevention training annually;
- Details on how an individual can report an allegation of sexual harassment; and
- Information on legal services, including governmental services, available to employees who may be victims of sexual harassment.
The written policy must be available in the employee’s primary language within the first calendar week of starting employment.
It is not too late to get your harassment policy into compliance.
