By Anthony Amendola

Since April 1, 2016, California employers subject to the Fair Employment and Housing Act (“FEHA”) have been required to comply with a number of amendments to the FEHA regulations that were adopted by the California Fair Employment and Housing Council (“FEHC”).  FEHA imposes an affirmative duty on employers to “take all reasonable steps to prevent discrimination and harassment from occurring.”  To effectuate that duty, the amended FEHA regulations expressly require employers to develop a written harassment, discrimination and retaliation prevention policy. More detailed information regarding the 2016 FEHC may be found here.

To aid employers in complying with their obligations under the FEHA and the 2016 FEHC amendments, the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (“DFEH”) recently released a “Workplace Harassment Guide for California Employers,” which provides recommended practices for preventing and addressing workplace harassment.  The publication is intended to help employers develop effective anti-harassment programs, investigate reports of harassment, and understand what remedial measures they might pursue.  In short, the Guide discusses the following:

• What is included in an effective anti-harassment program;
• The basic steps required to conduct a fair investigation;
• Confidentiality of investigations;
• Timing of investigations;
• Recommended practices for conducting workplace investigations, including impartiality, investigator qualifications and training, type of questioning, making credibility determinations, burden of proof, legal conclusions, and documentation;
• Special issues, such as what to do if the target of harassment asks an employer not to do anything, investigating anonymous complaints, and retaliation; and
• Implementing effective remedial measures.

The Workplace Harassment Guide for California Employers is available here. Continue reading “DFEH Issues New Workplace Harassment Guidance”