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Potential laws to prevent workplace sexual harassment

On Behalf of | Aug 4, 2018 | Firm News |

More and more California employers are revisiting sexual harassment-prevention programs, as victims of sexual harassment have continued to share their stories. Now, lawmakers are also revisiting policies to help employers avoid and handle cases of sexual harassment.

If passed, these bills may help protect victims and prepare employers for cases of workplace sexual harassment.

Protecting victims

One bill that is proposed makes other employees liable for retaliating against a worker who has made a complaint involving harassment and discrimination. Because workers must often rely on employees within their team to do their job, this bill helps victims of sexual harassment continue working amicably with surrounding employees.

Another bill would amend the California Labor Code to bar an employer from retaliating or discriminating against an employee based on his or her status as a victim of sexual harassment. This is meant to prevent an upset employer from mistreating a victim of sexual harassment.

Preparing employers

There are also bills that may help employers prepare their company to prevent sexual harassment cases.

One bill would require employers to provide at least two hours of sexual harassment training to all employees by 2020 and resume the training afterword once every two years. 

Another bill may help employers handle sexual harassment cases efficiently by requiring that records of sexual-harassment complaints are kept on file for at least 10 years.

These are just a few of the of the bills state lawmakers are considering in order to limit and recognize sexual harassment incidents in the workplace.

If you have suffered from workplace sexual harassment or discrimination, contact an employment law attorney to seek justice.