20 Years After AB1825: Why Harassment Prevention Training Feels Stale—and How to Make It Relevant Again

It’s hard to believe it has been nearly 20 years since the initial rush to comply with California’s AB1825 harassment prevention training requirements—an effort that helped spark a broader, nationwide focus on improving workplace behavior.

For many tenured leaders, that means they’ve participated in 10 or more two-hour harassment prevention training sessions. Employees have likely completed multiple sessions as well.

Yet despite this level of exposure, workplace issues persist.

As talent advisors working closely with organizations to address these challenges, we often look beyond surface-level symptoms to understand root causes. One consistent theme emerges: there is often a disconnect between how harassment prevention training is delivered and how effectively it translates into real-world behavior.

Not every workplace issue can—or should—be tied directly to harassment prevention training. However, one common pattern we continue to see is an over-reliance on eLearning as the primary delivery method, particularly for leaders.