Connecticut Sexual Harassment Training Requirements

• The Connecticut law applies to employers with three or more employees working in the state. 
• The law applies even if the employer is headquartered outside Connecticut. 

• Connecticut requires training to be updated and re-administered once every 10 years. 
• The Connecticut Commission on Human Rights recommends that supervisors be updated on developments in the law every three years. 

• The Connecticut Commission on Human Rights (“CCHR”) has the authority to inspect records of training. 
• This means employers should keep reasonable records of who was trained, when the training occurred, and what type of training was conducted. 

• Under Connecticut law, failing to conduct training is considered a “discriminatory act” subject to fines up to $1000. 
• It is unclear whether the $1000 fine will be imposed “per employee.” 

Training must be interactive and must include the following elements: 

• A description of sexual harassment (including examples and specific statutory provisions); 
• The verbatim definition of harassment under Connecticut state and federal law; 
• A description of the types of conduct that constitute sexual harassment under state law including, but not limited to, the fact that a victim may be a man or a woman and same sex-harassment is illegal. 
• Training must also provide a description of remedies available, contact information for the CCHR, a description of the complaint process, and the fact that individuals who commit acts of harassment may be liable for civil and/or criminal penalties. 
• Training must discuss retaliation and the legal protections against this form of misconduct; 
• Employers must describe strategies to prevent sexual harassment. 

The Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities (CHRO) has also recommended the following elements be included in training: 

• Training on the seriousness of harassment; 
• Roleplay as a means of teaching; 
• The importance of interpersonal skills; and 
• The perceptual differences of situations between men and women 

The CHRO has also stated that learners must be able to ask questions about the training and receive answers “within a reasonable time period.”