Chicago Sexual Harassment Policy Requires ‘Bystander’ Training

A first-in-the nation municipal requirement for Chicago companies to provide separate “bystander” sexual harassment training may set a new standard for other municipalities seeking to improve their rules to combat the misconduct, according to an attorney who specializes in employment law.

The Chicago Commission on Human Rights has begun enforcing a new ordinance that every Chicago employee must receive a dedicated hour of bystander sexual harassment training annually. Employers have until June 30, 2023, to begin providing it.

In training guidance, the commission defined bystander intervention as “safe and positive actions that may be carried out by a person ...