Kansas Sexual Harassment Training Requirements

According to the Kansas Human Rights Commission, training is an important aspect of the employer’s duty to prevent workplace sexual harassment. See KHRC: Harassment and Reasonable Care, at 8. The Kansas Attorney General’s Office recommends that employers provide training to all supervisory employees.

Additionally, EEOC guidelines and court decisions from around the country have made clear that employers should provide workplace harassment training to all employees periodically.

The training should cover sexual harassment and all other forms of unlawful harassment related to federal and state protected characteristics.

Kansas law prohibits workplace harassment and employment discrimination based on protected characteristics such as age (40 or older), ancestry, color, disability, gender identity or expression, genetic information, military status, national origin, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and related conditions), sexual orientation, and status as a victim of domestic violence or sexual assault. See Kansas Act Against Discrimination; Kansas Age Discrimination in Employment Act; Kan. Stat. § 44-1126; and Kan. Stat. § 44-1132. (The Kansas Human Rights Commission interprets state law consistent with the Supreme Court’s decision in Bostock v. Clayton County. Therefore, discrimination based on gender identity or expression or based on sexual orientation is a form of sex discrimination under Kansas law.)

Local ordinances may provide broader protections, so you should check the local Civil Rights Commission regulations applicable to your workplace.

For more information on Kansas equal employment opportunity requirements, see Kansas Human Rights Commission.