Illinois Sexual Harassment Training Requirements (2026)

Source: Illinois Department of Human Rights (IDHR). This guide is general information, not legal advice.

IDHR states that all employers with employees working in Illinois must provide sexual harassment prevention training annually. There is no minimum employer size on IDHR’s training page. The training applies to employees, and IDHR says the employer is responsible for delivering the training and documenting that employees completed it.

Employers can use IDHR’s model program, or a program they build or buy, as long as it equals or exceeds the minimum standards in the Human Rights Act. Third-party programs should be reviewed against those standards before you rely on them.

The minimum standards in section 2-109 include:

• an explanation of sexual harassment consistent with the Illinois Human Rights Act;
• examples of conduct that constitutes unlawful sexual harassment;
• a summary of the federal and state laws on sexual harassment and the remedies available to victims; and
• a summary of employers’ responsibilities for prevention, investigation and corrective measures.

IDHR’s model uses real-world scenarios and case studies. Its materials come as presentations, handouts, video and audio, with some available in English and Spanish.

Restaurants and bars must give all staff two kinds of training each year: the standard training that applies to every employer, and a supplemental training specific to the industry, covering customer harassment, alcohol-related incidents and power dynamics in tipped positions. The supplemental program must be given at least once a year to all employees regardless of classification, and may be run at the same time as the standard training. IDHR offers a free supplemental model.

They must also keep a written sexual harassment policy specific to restaurants and bars, give it to each employee in writing within the first calendar week of employment, and display the "Sexual Harassment in the Workplace" poster in English and Spanish where employees and customers can see it. Under the Act, a "bar" is an establishment that derives no more than 10% of its gross revenue from food consumed on the premises.

The City of Chicago has a separate ordinance. According to the City’s guidance and law-firm summaries, it requires one hour of sexual harassment prevention training for non-supervisory employees, two hours for supervisors and managers, and an additional hour of bystander intervention training for all employees, every year. Summaries differ on exactly which employers and which employees are covered (for example, employees who work in Chicago even when remote), so check the City’s Commission on Human Relations before relying on this summary. An employer with a state-level program usually still needs to add the Chicago pieces.

IDHR says training must be annual. Secondary summaries mention that the Illinois cycle runs by calendar year, with training finished by December 31, but we could not confirm that on an official page, so we leave it as a question to put to IDHR. The sources we reviewed do not give a fixed number of days for new hires, so many employers train people at onboarding and again in the annual cycle.

IDHR provides free model training programs and resources, including presentations, handouts, video and audio modules and instructions for self-guided delivery, for any employer to use. Materials are at dhr.illinois.gov/training. IDHR also provides the bar and restaurant supplement at no cost.

Because IDHR’s materials are a presentation-based model that you deliver and document yourself, many employers still choose a vendor’s online course. If you do, make sure it equals or exceeds the minimum standards.

Gama Safety’s Sexual Harassment Training is a self-paced online course of about 1.5 hours, priced at US$19.95, with a final exam (80% to pass) and a certificate. It is a general harassment-prevention course. Its own course page says that several states, including California, New York and Illinois, have their own training content and timing rules, that the course has not been reviewed for those state-specific requirements, and that you should check your state’s rules before using it to meet a legal training mandate.

We therefore do not claim it meets the Illinois requirement, the restaurant and bar supplement or the Chicago ordinance, and it is not approved or certified by IDHR. It can still help with:

• General awareness and refreshers beyond the annual session.
• Multi-state teams, where staff outside Illinois need baseline training.
• A supplement to IDHR’s model program.

For the Illinois mandate, use IDHR’s model or a program you have confirmed equals or exceeds the minimum standards.

IDHR says you must keep electronic or paper records of all training you provide. Record who was trained, the date, and which program was used, and keep the certificates or sign-in sheets. The sources we reviewed did not give a retention period, so we do not state one.

IDHR says an employer that is not compliant may receive a notice to show cause, giving 30 days to comply. If the employer still does not comply, IDHR petitions the Illinois Human Rights Commission for a civil penalty. Non-compliance can be reported to IDHR, anonymously if preferred.

• Illinois Department of Human Rights, Training and Sexual Harassment Prevention Training Program.
• Illinois Department of Human Rights, Requirements for Bars and Restaurants.
• Illinois General Assembly, Illinois Human Rights Act (775 ILCS 5).
• City of Chicago, Commission on Human Relations, Sexual Harassment.
• Gama Safety, Sexual Harassment Training course page.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Laws change, so confirm with the sources above.