Illinois Workplace Transparency Act – What You Need to Know

Last August, Illinois Governor Pritzker signed the Workplace Transparency Act (WTA) into law, which created new protections for employees and rules for employers. The Act serves as a means to help address and reduce the rising number of sexual harassment charges filed in Illinois.

While the WTA created a variety of new requirements and amended legislation, this article will focus on how it impacts institutions’ sexual harassment policies and practices.

The WTA provides two significant changes to how institutions handle sexual harassment:

All Illinois institutions must conduct annual sexual harassment training. If training is already implemented, it must be expanded to cover harassment and unlawful discrimination.
All Illinois institutions must provide annual reports concerning harassment claims to the Illinois Department of Human Rights (IDHR).

The WTA has been in effect since January 1, 2020 and the IDHR is committed to ensuring that these new requirements are addressed by notifying employers of the potential fines associated with not complying – ranging from $1,000 to $5,000.