The United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) reports that in 2009 they received 12,696 complaints of sexual harassment in the workplace.
Why is this significant to employers in Massachusetts?
Employers may be held liable for sexual harassment under certain circumstances.
Massachusetts employers should know a few things about the sexual harassment laws in Massachusetts. State law requires all employers to:
- Adopt a policy against sexual harassment;
- Post that sexual harassment is unlawful;
- Provide a description and examples of sexual harassment;
- State the range of consequences for sexual harassment;
- Provide a description of the process for filing a complaint;
- Post the appropriate state and federal agency with which to file a complaint; and
- State that it is unlawful to retaliate against someone for filing a complaint
Surprisingly, Massachusetts law does not require, but rather only encourages, employers to conduct training on sexual harassment within one year of hire. Even though training is not required, it is in the best interest of each employer to train employees because it has been shown that training reduces the amount of sexual harassment that occurs in the workplace. The Massachusetts Commission against Discrimination can provide a list of harassment prevention trainers upon request.
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