Harassment Prevention Training

Last updated: August 10, 2026

What is harassment prevention training?

Harassment prevention training is a company’s practice of teaching employees how to recognize and react to any harassment that occurs in the workplace. The goal of providing this training is to establish a safe and comfortable environment. 

To ensure this training is as effective as possible, companies use harassment prevention training software to provide compliance and prevention education. Using online resources to train employees is both scalable and cost-effective when meeting requirements set by the state.

What are the types of harassment prevention training?

The types of harassment prevention training are employee training and manager or supervisor training, each covering different responsibilities.

• Employee training: This training should convey a clear message condemning harassment and emphasizing the company’s commitment to creating a safe working environment for all team members. Topics typically include how to respond to harassment, the company’s anti-harassment policy, examples of unwelcome behavior, and how to file a complaint. It should also provide support resources for sexual harassment victims, such as helplines, websites, and local contacts.
• Manager or supervisor training: In addition to the topics in employee training, managers should learn about methods for creating a harassment-free workplace and procedures for handling incidents of harassment. Employers should stress to supervisors that harassment won’t be tolerated as they train to handle, investigate, and resolve complaints.

What should harassment prevention training include?

Harassment prevention training should include clear definitions of harassment, the legal standards used to evaluate it, and concrete actions employees and managers can take in response.

• Definitions: Training should help employees identify verbal, physical, and digital harassment, along with related discrimination and retaliation, so they can recognize misconduct in its different forms rather than only the most obvious examples.
  
• Standards: Employees and managers should learn the legal distinction between quid pro quo harassment and a hostile work environment, since these standards determine how a complaint is evaluated and what evidence matters.
  
• Action: Training should cover the company's reporting process, how investigations are conducted, and how bystanders can safely intervene when they witness harassment.
  

Which states require harassment prevention training?

Eight U.S. states currently mandate harassment prevention training for employers: California, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, New York, Virginia, and Washington, along with separate mandates in Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico.

Washington's requirement has applied to managers, supervisors, and isolated employees since 2019. A 2026 update (2SHB 1524) didn't change who must be trained; it gave the state's Department of Labor and Industries real enforcement authority for the first time, including civil penalties of $1,000 to $10,000 for violations.

Three cities add their own requirements on top of state law. New York City requires annual training for employers with 15 or more employees. Chicago requires annual training for all employers, including an extra hour of bystander intervention training alongside the state's standard. Washington, D.C. requires training for businesses that employ tipped workers, with initial training for tipped employees within 90 days of hire and refresher training for managers and owners every 2 years.

Puerto Rico also requires all employers to adopt an anti-harassment policy and provide employees with education on the policy and on harassment prevention. Colorado, Massachusetts, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Vermont don't mandate training but have laws or agency guidance that encourage employers to provide it.

A few proposals could further expand these requirements, though none are laws yet. New Jersey has restaurant-specific training legislation pending, and the federal BE HEARD in the Workplace Act aims to establish nationwide nondiscrimination training requirements if it passes.

There's no federal law requiring harassment prevention training. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act prohibits workplace harassment, and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) treats training as part of an employer's reasonable-care defense, but training itself isn't federally mandated. The EEOC rescinded its 2024 Enforcement Guidance on Harassment in January 2026; this doesn't affect any state or local training mandate.

What are the benefits of harassment prevention training?

The benefits of harassment prevention training are a safer workplace environment, a stronger company culture, empowered employees, and a documented zero-tolerance policy.

• Creates a safer workplace environment. Harassment prevention training outlines what is and isn’t acceptable behavior, removing any gray areas or misunderstandings. Removing this discomfort and anxiety can go a long way in ensuring employees feel safe at work.
• Strengthens company culture. A big part of company culture is the ways an organization takes action to prevent harassment or, conversely, how it allows employees to work in a hostile work environment. Providing employees with a safe and productive workplace supports company goals, values, and procedures, accompanying culture. 
• Empowers employees. When employees regularly attend harassment prevention training, they feel empowered to disclose issues they’ve encountered that violate these policies. Without knowing what qualifies as harassment, it’s difficult and stressful to be able to recognize it, report it, and avoid becoming a victim. This training educates the team on unacceptable behavior and encourages employees to come forward if they experience a hostile work environment. 
• Establishes a zero-tolerance policy. Running a harassment prevention training program and adopting its policies is less expensive for organizations than defending themselves against every harassment claim. Employers with a zero-tolerance policy reduce the odds of a lawsuit or a hefty fine. 

G2 reviews for products in the Harassment Prevention Training Software category consistently describe two outcomes: teams reporting more confidence in staying compliant across changing state requirements, and a shift away from harassment training feeling like a “check-the-box” exercise toward one that holds people's attention and gets discussed afterward.

What are harassment prevention training best practices?

Best practices for harassment prevention training include featuring content relevant to the organization, covering state and local laws, keeping materials up to date, making training interactive, and delivering it on a recurring schedule.

• Feature relevant content. The information within the training should be relevant to the organization. For example, training materials designed for an office environment won’t be as effective or useful for retail employees.
• Go over state and local laws. Since harassment laws and regulations vary by state, ensure the training program meets the state’s training standards while covering state and local anti-harassment laws. In addition to the topics covered, the training program's length should also meet state standards. 
• Make sure the material is updated. The training material within a company’s program should match the most recent updates to the law and court orders.
• Make it interactive, not passive. Several state mandates, including those of Connecticut, Delaware, and New York City, explicitly require interactive formats rather than passively watched videos, since scenario-based exercises and discussion improve retention and application compared to click-through slides.
  
• Train on a recurring schedule, even without a legal mandate. Even in states without a repeat-training requirement, periodically refreshing training keeps policies top of mind and signals an ongoing commitment rather than a one-time compliance exercise.
  

Frequently asked questions about harassment prevention training

Here are the most commonly asked questions about harassment prevention training.

Q1. What are the topics for harassment prevention training?

The core topics for harassment prevention training are definitions of harassment, the legal standards used to evaluate it, and reporting and investigation procedures, covered above. Many programs also include a dedicated sexual harassment prevention module, documentation and recordkeeping practices, and organization-specific scenarios, among other topics. It's imperative that all employees understand every form of harassment and other inappropriate behavior, not just the examples covered in a single training session.

Q2. How effective is harassment prevention training?

Harassment prevention training is most effective when it's interactive, specific to the organization, and reinforced on a recurring basis, rather than treated as a one-time, passive compliance exercise. Courts and the EEOC also treat documented training as part of an employer's legal defense, so even where its behavioral impact is debated, it remains a meaningful part of a company's risk management.

Q3. Is harassment prevention training a one-time requirement for employees?

No, in most mandated states, harassment prevention training must be repeated periodically, such as every two years in California and Delaware, rather than completed once. A few states, like Maine, require it only once for new hires, with no mandated repeat, so the answer depends on which state's requirements apply to a given employee.

Q4. Who provides harassment prevention training?

Harassment prevention training is typically provided by an employer's internal HR or legal team, a specialized third-party training vendor, or dedicated harassment prevention training software, depending on the company's size and resources. Some states, including California and New York, also publish free model training materials that smaller employers can use to meet the legal requirement without purchasing a separate program.

Learn more about dispute-resolution tactics to prepare to handle harassment claims.