Maine sexual harassment prevention training: what employers must do

At a glance

Who it applies to

Every employer: a poster and a yearly written notice. Workplaces with 15 or more employees: training too¹.

Who is trained

Every new employee, with additional training for supervisors and managers¹.

When

Within one year of starting¹.

How often

The law asks for training once, for new employees. The yearly duty is the written notice to everyone¹.

Content

The topics set by law, plus supervisors' responsibilities and how to act on complaints¹.

Records

Keep training records, including who was trained, for at least 3 years¹.

Penalties

$1,000 for a first notice or training violation, $2,500 for a second and $5,000 for a third or later¹.

Who must train

Every employer in Maine must post the state's sexual harassment poster and give every employee a written notice each year. In workplaces with 15 or more employees, employers must also train¹.

An employee is anyone engaged to work on a steady or regular basis, full-time or part-time, by an employer located or doing business in Maine².

Training: who, when and what

In workplaces with 15 or more employees, every new employee must be trained within one year of starting¹. The training must cover¹:

• the illegality of sexual harassment;
• the definition of sexual harassment under state and federal law, including the Maine Human Rights Act and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964;
• a description of sexual harassment, using examples;
• the internal complaint process available to the employee;
• the legal recourse and complaint process through the Maine Human Rights Commission, and how to contact it;
• protection against retaliation.

Supervisors and managers need additional training within one year of starting, covering their specific responsibilities and the steps they must take to ensure immediate and appropriate corrective action on complaints¹. The Maine Department of Labor says supervisors and managers must be trained within one year of their hire or promotion into the position³.

The law doesn't set a length or format, and doesn't require refresher training¹.

The free state training

The Maine Human Rights Commission and the Department of Labor offer a free training video that employers can use for the new-employee training. On its own, it doesn't meet the training requirement for supervisors and managers⁴.

The commission also publishes a list of trainers, and says the list isn't an endorsement⁵.

The poster and the yearly notice

• Post the poster in a prominent and accessible place at work¹.
• Every year, give all employees an individual written notice covering the illegality of sexual harassment, its definition under state law, examples, your internal complaint process, the commission's complaint process and contact details, and protection against retaliation. Deliver it in a way that reaches every employee without exception, for example with their pay¹.

Records and penalties

Use the Department of Labor's checklist to build your training program, keep a record of the training, including who has received it, for at least 3 years, and show it to the department on request^{1, 3}.

The department can fine an employer $1,000 for a first violation of the notice or training rules, $2,500 for a second and $5,000 for a third or later. Missing the poster can cost up to $25 a day, up to $1,000, for a first violation¹.

How MyWorkAcademy helps

MyWorkAcademy runs the part of compliance that usually slips: getting everyone trained on time, again when it's due, and being able to prove it.

• Assign the training to everyone who must take it, with each new hire's deadline counted from their start date (within a year in Maine).
• Give supervisors their own course through a supervisors group, with a rule that renews after each completion. Anyone you add to the group later, such as someone just promoted, is assigned it automatically.
• Assign the yearly written notice to everyone as a short course, every year on a date you choose, so each person's acknowledgment is on record.
• Keep a locked record of every completion: the person, the exact course version, the date, the score and the acknowledgment. Each certificate carries a link anyone can use to check it.
• Keep records for as long as you need them: completions are permanent in your academy, and you can download them at any time, including after a paid plan ends.

MyWorkAcademy doesn't decide whether a course meets a law's content or length rules. Use your own training, turn your policy into a course, or start from our library, and have your legal adviser confirm the content meets the law.

Questions employers ask

Sources

1. 26 M.R.S. § 807, sexual harassment requirementsMaine Legislature
2. 26 M.R.S. § 806, definitionsMaine Legislature
3. Sexual harassment prevention education and training checklist (rev. 05/26)Maine Department of Labor
4. Programs and resources: sexual harassment training videoMaine Human Rights Commission
5. Sexual harassment trainer listingMaine Human Rights Commission