Rhode Island stops just short of a training mandate. Training is encouraged, particularly for employers with fifty or more employees, but the written policy requirements have real teeth: employers must keep copies of their sexual harassment policy at the business premises and hand them over to any state or federal enforcement agency that asks. The Rhode Island Commission for Human Rights also spells out exactly what that policy has to contain, which makes training the practical way to put it into effect.
What Rhode Island law requires
Training required: no, but encouraged, especially at employers with fifty or more employees
Encouraged timing: an education program for new employees within one year of hire, plus additional training for new supervisory and managerial staff
Written policy must state that harassment and retaliation are unlawful, describe harassment with examples, list the range of consequences, explain the internal complaint process with contact details, and identify the relevant state and federal enforcement agencies
Employers must keep written policies at the business premises and produce them to any state or federal enforcement agency on request
Enforcement agency: Rhode Island Commission for Human Rights
What the course covers
A plain-language definition of sexual harassment, including quid pro quo and the hostile work environment, and the misconceptions that hide it
How to report harassment, and how managers should receive and investigate a complaint
The pieces of an effective anti-harassment policy and how to put it into practice
Broader workplace discrimination, including discriminatory hiring and firing, and how the Americans with Disabilities Act affects hiring and accommodations
Workplace ethics such as open-door policies and bullying
How Rhode Island fair employment law applies across hiring, promotion, pay, dismissal, and the conditions of employment
How the course works
The course is online and self-paced, so your team can complete it on any device on their own schedule. Managers can assign it by role or location and pull completion records whenever they are needed.
Common questions
Is sexual harassment training required in Rhode Island?
No. It is encouraged, especially for employers with fifty or more employees, and the state does impose enforceable written policy and recordkeeping obligations.
What do we have to keep on file?
Copies of your written sexual harassment policy must be maintained at the business premises and made available to state or federal employment discrimination enforcement agencies on request.
Does this course meet requirements in other states?
This version is written around Rhode Island law. California, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, and New York have their own training mandates, and Washington has an industry-specific one. We offer state-specific courses for those.
Harassment training in other states
Requirements differ sharply by state on duration, frequency, and headcount thresholds, so take the version for the state you operate in: Tennessee, Texas, Pennsylvania, and more in the full compliance catalog. If your state sets no mandate, the general non-state-specific course covers the federal baseline. Track completion across a roster from the Learn Brands dashboard.
Buying for a team?
Seats are $18.99 each. Register your business free and assign seats across your whole staff. You can see who has started, who has finished, and when certificates expire from the Learn Brands dashboard.