All employers must adopt and distribute a sexual harassment prevention policy and provide interactive sexual harassment prevention training to all employees. This law goes into effect October 9, 2018.
The state will be developing a model policy and a model training, so employers will not need to create their own. They will, however, need to administer both the policy and the interactive training. Employers do have the option of creating their own policy and training program, so long as it meets the requirements set by the state.
Contract provisions that require arbitration for claims of sexual harassment are prohibited. Any such provision in a contract entered into after July 11, 2018, will be null and void. The rest of the contract will remain enforceable, assuming it was drafted correctly. However, this provision of the new law may be unenforceable under the Federal Arbitration Act. Until this question is resolved, we encourage employers to operate as if contract clauses that require arbitration of sexual harassment claims will not hold up in court or to consult with legal counsel before continuing to use them.
Confidential settlement agreements with respect to claims of sexual harassment are also prohibited, unless a confidential agreement is the preference of the person who brought the claim. If the claimant does not want confidentiality, employers will not be able to include language that requires it. This provision of the law also takes effect July 11, 2018.
Non-employees—such as vendors, contractors, and consultants—now have the ability to file a complaint with the Division of Human Rights if they feel they have been sexually harassed in an employer’s workplace. This expansion of the law has already taken effect.
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