Question: My practice has more than five employees, so I am already aware of the California requirements regarding anti-harassment training. While the training deadline of January 1, 2021 is looming, we have not been able to provide the requisite courses to our office staff. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have cancelled any in-person events, including trainings. Do you think California will once again push back the deadline?
Answer: As of today, neither the California Legislature nor the Governor have indicated that the compliance deadline will be extended beyond January 1, 2021. As a California employer with five or more employees, your practice is required to provide sexual harassment prevention training to all employees by January 1, 2021.
While in-person training is not feasible during the ongoing pandemic, the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing allows for training to occur live in a classroom, online, or in "any other effective, interactive format."
As a benefit of membership, CAP provides free online courses for both supervisory and nonsupervisory employees that fulfill this compliance requirement. Receive access to these courses by completing the form on CAPphysicians.com/hrtraining. Upon completion of the program, each staff member will be able to save the certificate of completion as a PDF that can be printed or saved to prove compliance.
If you have additional questions regarding HR issues, contact Leilani Ligans, CAP’s Vice President of Human Resources and Operations, at 213-473-8695 during business hours, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Andie Tena is CAP’s Director of Practice Management Services. Questions or comments related to this column should be directed to atena@CAPphysicians.com.