Atlantic Health StrategiesWest Palm Beach, Florida, USA
- What they do
- Compliance consulting
- Who they help
- Its website offers consulting for CARF, HIPAA, 42 CFR Part 2, Joint Commission.
- Standards
- Pricing
- Not published
Harassment Prevention Policy
A written harassment prevention policy is required by statute or regulation in several states and by CARF accreditation, and large customers often ask for one.
Federal law does not require the document by name, but the Supreme Court's Faragher and Ellerth decisions make a distributed policy with a complaint procedure the employer's main defense to supervisor harassment claims, which is why HR treats it as universal.
The state mandates differ in detail. California requires a written policy that lists every protected category, describes the complaint process, and is distributed with proof of receipt. New York requires a policy that meets or exceeds the state model, given in writing at hire and at each annual training.
Illinois requires annual training and, for bars and restaurants, a written policy. Connecticut, Delaware, Maine and Washington add training or posting duties. The policy half of these mandates is documentary; the training half needs content delivery and attendance records.
Also called: Anti-harassment policy, Sexual harassment prevention policy, Harassment, discrimination and retaliation prevention policy
Share
Ad from the publisher
Policy Acknowledgment Proof
AcknowledgedHarassment policy 2026by name, on record
Every State One Trailwith AllyMatter
Every State the Modern WayOne harassment policy, acknowledged wherever you have a hire
01
Approve it, lock the version
Non-author approval, obsolete copies blocked
02
Every employee on record
Re-collected each year, survives departure
03
Answer the agency with the trail
From $29/mo, 20 editors, unlimited staff (published)
Who requires it, and what each one says.
| Source | Applies when | What it requires | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| California Fair Employment and Housing Council regulations 2 CCR 11023(b) and (c) | California employer with five or more employees | A written policy listing all protected categories, prohibiting harassment by supervisors, coworkers and third parties, with a complaint process that ensures confidentiality to the extent possible, timely response, impartial investigation, documentation, and no retaliation; distributed by one of the listed methods with acknowledgment of receipt or equivalent tracking; translated where ten percent or more of the workforce speaks another language. Legally required. | Mandatory |
| California Government Code, training Cal. Gov. Code 12950.1 | California employer with five or more employees | Two hours of interactive harassment training for supervisors and one hour for nonsupervisory employees within six months of hire or promotion and every two years. Legally required; training, not policy. | Mandatory |
| New York Labor Law NY Labor Law 201-g | Every New York employer | Adopt the state model policy or one meeting its minimum standards; provide it in writing in English and the employee's primary language at hire and at each annual training; annual interactive training. Legally required. | Mandatory |
| Illinois Human Rights Act 775 ILCS 5/2-109 and 5/2-110 | Every Illinois employer (training); restaurants and bars (written policy) | Annual sexual harassment prevention training meeting IDHR minimum standards; restaurants and bars must also have a written policy in English and Spanish given to all employees within the first week. Legally required. | Mandatory |
| Connecticut General Statutes and CHRO regulations CGS 46a-54(15); Regs. Conn. State Agencies 46a-54-200 et seq. | Connecticut employer with three or more employees | Two hours of training within six months of hire and periodic supplemental training; post and distribute the CHRO harassment notice to new employees within three months. Legally required; policy content itself is not prescribed. | Mandatory |
| Faragher v. City of Boca Raton and Burlington Industries v. Ellerth 524 U.S. 775 and 524 U.S. 742 (1998) | Any employer facing a Title VII supervisor harassment claim | Affirmative defense available where the employer exercised reasonable care to prevent and correct harassment, which courts read as a distributed policy with a working complaint procedure. Not a statutory mandate; a litigation expectation. | Implied |
| CARF accreditation standards CARF Standard 1.I.7.d.(1)(h) | You seek or hold CARF accreditation (any program) | Workforce policies and written procedures that address prevention of harassment, available to the workforce. The policy can be a section of the personnel policies. CARF does not require a signed acknowledgment, and says proof that policies were provided need not be in writing. Accreditation requirement. | Mandatory |
Required sections
- Statement that harassment, discrimination and retaliation are prohibited, with every protected category under applicable law listed (CA requires the full list)
- Coverage of conduct by supervisors, managers, coworkers and third parties such as customers and vendors (CA)
- Definitions and examples of prohibited conduct, including sexual harassment examples (NY minimum standards)
- Complaint process with more than one reporting route so an employee need not report to a direct supervisor (CA, NY)
- Statement that complaints will be investigated promptly, impartially, by qualified personnel, documented and tracked (CA)
- Confidentiality to the extent possible (CA)
- Remedial action when misconduct is found (CA, NY)
- No retaliation for complaining or participating, and that retaliation is unlawful (all)
- Information on federal and state statutory provisions and remedies, and the agencies where a complaint can be filed, with contact details (NY, IL)
- Complaint form (NY model includes one; single source)
- Supervisor duty to report known harassment (CA, NY)
- Bystander intervention and remote-work conduct (NY 2023 model; single source)
- Distribution method and acknowledgment procedure (CA 11023(c))
- Translations where required (CA at 10 percent of workforce; NY in the employee's primary language where the state has published a template; IL restaurants in English and Spanish)
What the examiner asks for
Written planThe current policy with its effective date, the state-specific versions or addenda, and prior versions. Employment law firms and HR consultants write; PEOs and HRIS provide templates; policy tools hold versions
AttestationPer-employee acknowledgment of receipt of the specific version (CA requires acknowledgment or equivalent tracking; NY requires written provision at hire and at each annual training). Policy tools, HRIS onboarding, PEOs
Operational recordsTraining completion records with dates and duration per employee; complaint and investigation files; translation copies. Harassment training vendors, LMS, HR
Technical controlsNone. Anonymous reporting hotlines are common but not required by any of the state statutes listed. Ethics hotline vendors
Change log.
2026-01EEOC voted to rescind its April 2024 Enforcement Guidance on Harassment in the Workplace in full; state and federal statutes unchanged.
2025-05-15Northern District of Texas vacated the portions of the 2024 EEOC harassment guidance addressing gender identity.
2023-04-11New York issued a revised model policy and training adding remote work, bystander intervention and gender identity content.
2020-01-01Illinois Workplace Transparency Act amendments to the Human Rights Act took effect: annual training for all employers, written policy and supplemental training for restaurants and bars.
2018-10-09New York Labor Law 201-g effective: model policy and annual training for all employers.
2016-04-01California 2 CCR 11023 written policy and distribution requirements effective.
Where this document is required.
Where this document gets checked.
No one certifies a document like this on its own. It is read during the audits and inspections below, and by the agency behind each rule.
| Where it is looked at | Who looks at it |
|---|---|
| CARF | CARF surveyors, who are peer professionals employed in accredited or comparable organizations, trained and assigned by CARF. Surveys are scheduled and on site for two to three days |
| State harassment-prevention mandates | State civil rights or labor agencies on complaint or investigation (government enforcement); no certification. Training and policy records are most often tested in litigation and agency charge responses |
Consultants.
Firms that name these standards in their own material.
Listed in random order, reshuffled each time the page loads. Firms that pay for a listing are shown at the top, labeled Sponsored.
Circa Behavioral Healthcare SolutionsMission Viejo, California, USA
- What they do
- Compliance consulting
- Who they help
- Its website offers consulting for CARF, HIPAA, Joint Commission.
- Standards
- Pricing
- Not published
MVP Consulting GroupLong Beach, California, USA
- What they do
- Compliance consulting
- Who they help
- Its website offers consulting for CARF, HIPAA, AAAASF, AAAHC, CMS and more.
- Standards
- Pricing
- Not published
Software.
Tools that hold documents like this one and record who has read them.
Need a hand implementing it?
Find a Consultant for Harassment Prevention Policy
Tell us what you need done and we will point you to firms that do this work. Your details go to a firm only when you choose it.
From the publisher
Manage This Document in AllyMatter
Route it for approval, keep every version, and record a named acknowledgment from everyone who has to read it.
See how AllyMatter works ↗From $29/mo, 20 editors, unlimited staff
What people ask.
Is a harassment policy required under federal law?
No statute names the document. Title VII case law gives employers an affirmative defense when they had a distributed policy and complaint process, so in practice every employment lawyer treats it as required. State law makes it explicit in California, New York, Illinois (for bars and restaurants) and a few others.
Can one national policy satisfy every state?
A core policy plus state addenda is the common approach. California needs the full protected-category list and the tracked-distribution requirement; New York needs the minimum-standard content and complaint form; Illinois restaurants need English and Spanish. Check each addendum when a state model changes.
Does the acknowledgment need to be a wet signature?
No state requires one. California's regulation lists email with tracked acknowledgment and other tracked methods as acceptable. What matters is that you can show which employee received which version and when.
Is training part of this document?
No. Training is a separate obligation with separate records in California, New York, Illinois and Connecticut. The policy is handed out at training in New York, which is why the two are often confused.
Sources
2 CCR 11023 Harassment and Discrimination Prevention and Correction (California Code of Regulations)Cal. Gov. Code 12950.1 (California Legislative Information)NY Labor Law 201-g (NY Senate)New York State employer guide and model policy775 ILCS 5/2-109 (Illinois General Assembly)Regs. Conn. State Agencies 46a-54-200 et seq., sexual harassment posting and training (Connecticut eRegulations)EEOC news release on rescission of the 2024 harassment guidanceCARF 2026 CCRC Standards Manual (ASPIRE to Excellence, Section 1)