On April 10, 2018, California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) Task Force on the Prevention of Sexual Harassment in the Workplace (The Task Force) announced that it will telephonically interview randomly-selected California employers on their anti-harassment policies including employer-sponsored training and other anti-harassment complaint procedures.

Formed in May 2016 to study the problem and prevention of workplace sexual harassment, The Task Force hopes to better understand how employers manage the issues. DFEH Director Kevin Kish expects “the results of the survey to provide important insights for policy makers and the public alike.”

The Task Force has issued a workplace harassment guide on how to develop effective anti-harassment workplace practices.

California law requires all employers with one or more employees to take “all reasonable steps necessary to prevent discrimination and harassment from occurring,” which can include:

1. Provide copies of the DFEH’s sexual harassment brochure to all California employees;
2. Conspicuously display the DFEH’s “California Law Prohibits Workplace Discrimination and Harassment” poster in compliance with DFEH’s posting rules;
3. Develop and distribute a California-compliant harassment, discrimination and retaliation prevention policy (Anti-Harassment Policy);
4. Translate the Anti-Harassment Policy into every language spoken by at least ten percent of the workforce; and
5. Provide mandatory sexual harassment training if and as required by law.

Cindy Bamforth
May 3, 2018