The Indian Business Owner TIBO Magazine - Volume 001 | Page 9

Are You In Compliance With California’s Anti-Discrimination And Anti-Harassment Policies? The Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) is the law in California which provides employees protection from discrimination, harassment, and retaliation. As of April 1, 2016, new regulations took effect requiring employers with five or more employees1 to create written policies for preventing harassment, discrimination, and retaliation. Why is it important that you comply with the new regulations? Having written policies helps prevent costly employment lawsuits. Additionally, when and if you get sued by an employee you want to be able to point to your policies and the employees’ failure to comply with those policies to manage your liability. Investing the time now to ensure compliance with the regulations, will help prevent headaches in the future. Requirements Imposed on Employers Under the New Regulations In addition to the already-existing requirements for employers to distribute the Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH)-185, brochure on sexual harassment, as of April 1, 2016, employers must also have written policies which do the following: • List the categories of individuals protected by FEHA2. 7 |TIBO Magazine - Fall 2016 www.TIBOmagazine.com