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Training Included in the Annual Program

Sexual Harassment Training for Illinois Businesses

empathiHR provides sexual harassment prevention training for Illinois businesses through our annual program. Your team receives hosted training, role-specific content, and individual completion records, backed by management guidance and help responding to employee concerns.

What employers receive

Account for restaurants, bars, and Chicago locations

Illinois employers need annual training, while restaurants and bars have supplemental duties. Chicago adds training hours and bystander intervention. We start with your locations and industry so these distinctions stay visible in the training plan.

Hosted training for your team

Training is delivered through our hosted platform. Employee and manager content addresses their different responsibilities, with assignments informed by workforce locations and roles.

Completion records and follow-through

We coordinate rollout and completion tracking against your roster. Individual completion records help HR see participation and keep evidence of the training delivered. That gives your team a coordinated process instead of another training project to manage on its own.

An annual program, with support beyond training

Training is included only in the annual empathiHR program. The relationship also brings management guidance, phone/email and in-app reporting, thorough investigations, and proactive quarterly engagement. Owners, managers, and HR have an experienced resource for employee concerns, with more capacity to focus on running the business.

Start with your workforce and current training

Tell us your locations, employee and manager counts, and recent training dates. We review applicable requirements and explain the annual program, delivery, records, and pricing before you decide. Once you join, onboarding establishes the relationship and we coordinate rollout and ongoing support.

Statute
Illinois Human Rights Act §2-109 (SB 75 / Workplace Transparency Act, 2019)
Threshold
All Illinois employers, regardless of size.
Frequency
Annually, every calendar year.
New-hire deadline
No fixed day-count in the statute. The enforceable date is December 31 of the calendar year of hire; IDHR advises training new staff as soon as possible after hire, since the employer is answerable for their conduct from day one.
Who must be trained

Coverage scope

Every employee, including short-term, part-time, and interns. Restaurants and bars must additionally train all employees with the supplemental hospitality module.

Cadence

Duration & frequency

Duration
No fixed minimum, but content must satisfy IDHR model program requirements; restaurant/bar supplemental training is in addition to the base program.
Frequency
Annually, every calendar year.
New hires
No fixed day-count in the statute. The enforceable date is December 31 of the calendar year of hire; IDHR advises training new staff as soon as possible after hire, since the employer is answerable for their conduct from day one.
Required Content

Every compliant program must include

Use these topics to review your program against the Illinois requirements, alongside the agency sources and coverage details below.

01

Explanation of sexual harassment consistent with the IHRA

02

Examples of conduct constituting unlawful sexual harassment

03

Summary of federal and state statutory provisions concerning sexual harassment, remedies, and enforcement

04

Summary of employer responsibilities in preventing, investigating, and correcting harassment

05

For restaurants/bars: additional content on industry-specific scenarios per IDHR model

Documentation

Recordkeeping

Employers must maintain a record of all training provided each year; IDHR may request these records during an investigation.

Exposure

Penalties & enforcement

IDHR may issue a notice to show cause and pursue civil penalties if an employer does not correct a training violation. Penalties depend on employer size and prior violations under the Illinois Human Rights Act.

Enforcer

Illinois Department of Human Rights (IDHR).

For Small Illinois Employers

Fourteen or fewer employees?

Small teams still need a practical way to handle training, reporting, and employee concerns. Check the coverage details above for your obligations in Illinois. Our program gives owners and managers experienced support without having to manage every step alone.

See the Illinois program
Multi-state employer?

Keep training connected across your locations.

Illinois is one of 11 jurisdictions in this reference. We help your team organize training and records around its workforce, with management guidance and investigation support when concerns arise.

FAQ

Illinois training: buyer questions

What is included when we choose empathiHR for Illinois training?
Training is included in the annual program, with workforce mapping, rollout coordination, and completion tracking. The broader relationship includes management guidance, employee reporting, investigations, and proactive quarterly engagement.
Do Illinois restaurants and bars need more than the general course?
Yes. They have supplemental training and policy duties under the Illinois Human Rights Act. Identify restaurant or bar operations when discussing the program so industry requirements are addressed separately.
Does statewide Illinois training cover Chicago automatically?
No. Chicago has additional employee, supervisor, and bystander training requirements. Review both rules and the applicable training cycles for employees working in the city.

This page summarizes publicly available statutes and regulatory guidance, last reviewed October 2026. State and local mandates change frequently; verify current requirements with the enforcing agency or employment counsel before relying on this content for compliance decisions. empathiHR clients receive a written compliance matrix updated against their roster and locations.

Discuss training for your Illinois team.

Training is included in our annual program. Tell us about your workforce, locations, and current training so we can explain the program and discuss the fit for your team.