Women in California in the workplace have been given greater protections and opportunities in 2019 by the California legislature. 2019 brings with it a number of new laws that will impact California businesses and their employees. In particular, female workers have been given greater protections and opportunities by the California legislature. As a worker, if you find that your boss is not willing to comply with the new regulations, getting an experienced and effective labor lawyer on your side can make a significant difference.
Women Take the Lead
The Governor signed SB 826, requiring all companies that are publicly traded in California to include women on their boards. The bill specifies that such companies must have at least one female on their boards by the close of 2019, and those with five members are required to have two women by the time 2021 wraps up. Half of directors on six-person boards must be female by that deadline.
Harassment Legislation – Women in California
Governor Brown signed SB 1343 into law, requiring that any business with five or more employees provide training related to sexual harassment – what it is, how to prevent it, and how to report it. Such training must occur before the end of 2019, and is required every couple of years from then on. This will impact a number of small businesses, since mandatory training was previously required only for businesses employing at least 50 workers. The California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) has been directed to created necessary training materials which can be loaned out for training sessions. Employers may choose a number of ways to deliver the training:
- In small groups;
- By department;
- Company-wide;
- In another format that makes sense.
Additionally, AB1870 extends the time limit victims have to file a charge with DFEH to three years, a substantial increase over the previous limit of one year. This applies to any harassment related to prohibited conduct against protected classes based on gender, race, culture, age, sexual orientation, or religion.
Confidentiality Restrictions
SB 820 shuts down provisions for confidentiality that have previously been included in settlements in sexual harassment or sexual discrimination cases. Although discrimination and harassment are not restricted to one gender, women experience the lion’s share of such behavior, and will be the biggest benefactors of the new law. However, it is not retroactive, so only those cases that reach a settlement starting in January of 2019 are required to comply with the new law.
Women in California – Accommodating New Mothers
Another piece of legislation that will impact many women in California on the job is AB 1976. This law, which aligns with federal regulations, requires businesses to provide an appropriate area that is not a bathroom in which lactating women can be accommodated.
Women’s Issues in the Working World
California’s legislature has made great strides in its attempt to address the concerns of women in California in the workplace going forward. Nonetheless, it seems there are always employers out there who choose to push their luck and defy legal protocols and regulations. If you find yourself battling the same old issues with an unenlightened superior at work, allow the Santa Rosa labor law attorney team at Beck Law P.C., to step in on your behalf. If you work in Mendocino County, Sonoma County, or Lake County California, contact us in Santa Rosa today.