California’s New Bills: Sexual Harassment
California state legislation has been at the forefront by passing several bills that prevent sexual harassment in the workplace as well as within the state legislature. The package of bills was signed by the Governor of California, Edmund G. Brown on September 30th, 2018. These bills were put in place in support of women, children, working families in California. Many of these bills addressed sexual harassment and discrimination in the workplace and provide sexual training requirement to address professional liability, settlement agreement and enforcement, and strengthen whistleblower protections by including new protection for state legislature workers.
Key Areas Covered By The New Bills
•Discrimination of any kind to employees on basis of gender, pregnancy, maternal related matters or race. The Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) describes such actions as unlawful and can be sued in a court of law.
•Provision of free and compulsory training for at least two hours to inform victims and employees on actions that are considered discrimination, required for any organization with more than 50 employees.
•That a single harassment case is enough for an institution to be deemed an unsuitable and unsafe working environment.
•Requiring employees to sign any form of documents that prevents them from reporting any harassment is illegal and will liable to employers.
•In the event of any harassment which the employer is aware of and fails to report to the authorities, the employer will be liable and will have contravened the new bill passed to protect employees in the workplace.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here, we explore the commonly asked questions that might help you:
i) What constitutes harassment at work place?
Harassment at workplace includes any discrimination against age, sex, pregnancy, religion, marital status among other factors.
ii) Is harassment unlawful?
Depending on the impact it has on the victim, harassment can be legal or illegal. If it makes the victim feel physically, mentally or emotionally tortured, the it is illegal.
iii) Where can one report harassment at workplace?
You can report to your employer who will take the necessary action. In the event he fails to, you may contact an attorney, such as our professionals at United Employees Law Group.
United Employees Law Group
Jeff C Lake formed a group of lawyers who have a vast knowledge on all possible forms of harassment at workplace. Such cases include sexual harassment, overtime violations, class actions as well as unlawful termination of work. The lawyers have a great deal of knowledge on these subjects and will work with you to approach any case you present to them from many angles.
No one wants to live a life undergoing mental torture because of something unlawful done to them. Be bold and report any possible action that you feel constitutes harassment. If you or someone you know has experienced any injustice within the workplace, be sure to
contact the United Employees Law Group today!
Photo Credit: Shutterstock/ Photographee.eu
