Bay Area employees are back on the job after ringing in the new year. While most people find a way to celebrate new beginnings with family or friends, the new year is not just a reason to party. Now that the calendar has moved on to 2019, employees should be made aware that any new laws that passed are now in effect, and several states have passed legislation to combat sexual harassment in the workplace.
Notably, California has new laws that further protect victims. Previously, a party accused of sexual harassment had the option to settle the case without having the identity of the person or party accused revealed. The new law changes this, and such things will no longer be allowed. A party that wants to settle a sexual harassment case levied against him or her is subject to having the identity of the accused party revealed, so that other employees and the public can be made aware of the danger. Employers are no longer allowed to make employees sign a liability release pertaining to such matters either.
Elsewhere in the country, state contractors must now compose sexual harassment policies and make sure all of their employees are trained accordingly. So far, changes to the law are mostly being made at the state level, so laws may vary from place to place. If an employee becomes the victim of sexual harassment, regardless of what state they are in, they have the right to take action.
If a Bay Area employee has become the victim of sexual harassment at the hands of an employer, he or she may be fed up. Fortunately, he or she has the right to bring an experienced attorney on board. An attorney can help a client decide on the best course of action and assist him or her as he or she tells a judge how the inappropriate actions of an employer have caused him or her to suffer unjustly.
