The Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities has announced that due to COVID-19, employers may request a 90-day extension to required anti-sexual harassment training for employees hired after Oct. 1, 2019.
Background:
Effective October 1, 2019, employers with three or more employees are required to provide at least two hours of sexual harassment training to all employees and supervisors. The new training must occur within one year of October 1, 2019 for employees hired before that date. Those hired on or after October 1, 2019 must receive the training within six months of their date of hire.
Employers with fewer than three employees must provide two hours of training to all existing supervisory employees by October 1, 2020. Those hired on or after October 1, 2019, must receive the training no later than six months after their start date.
Procedure for Requesting Extension:
Due to COVID-19, employers may request an extension of the training requirement in certain circumstances. To obtain a 90-day extension to the training requirements for employees hired after October 1, 2019, employers must send a request to CHRO.questions@ct.gov and explain that they were unable to complete the training requirement for those affected employees due to current COVID-19 restrictions, such as a lack of access to technology (computer/the Internet), employee illness, or other unforeseeable circumstances.
Compliance Recommendations:
Connecticut employers that wish to request an extension should follow the procedures outlined above. If granted, the extension will give employers up to nine months from the employee's start date to provide the training. The announcement doesn't address employees hired before October 1, 2019, so barring further guidance, those employees must still be trained by October 1, 2020. Please contact your dedicated service professional with any questions.