Concord, California has faced a half a dozen sexual harassment lawsuits since 2009. In an effort to reduce the number of harassment suits filed by city employees, lawmakers have passed tougher regulations.
The city has paid out close to $1.5 million to settle sexual harassment cases in the past two years, and the new regulations are their effort to reduce the legal fees associated with the lawsuits. In spite of state and federal regulations, which strictly forbid harassment of any kind in the workplace, the problem is still pervasive all across the country, which a sexual harassment attorney will attest to.
Concord will follow state regulations, but will also hire independent investigators to review allegations of harassment and retaliation. The investigator will not be allowed to reveal their results to the victims or the accused. In previous cases, the findings of sexual harassment investigations have been cited in employee lawsuits.
The new law will forbid employees accused of harassment from appealing the findings of these independent investigations. An employee who receives punishment can appeal that decision, as required by state law.
Concord officials have also eliminated the option of arbitration, which is expensive, and people unhappy with the outcome often sue anyway.
Mayor Laura Hoffmeister has urged all employees to report any incidents of sexual harassment or discrimination even if it doesn’t affect them directly. Sexual harassment lawyers also urge people to report incidents of sexual harassment or retaliation to their superiors.
Harassment of any kind makes the workplace volatile, and the victims are encouraged to retain sexual harassment attorneys to restore a sense of peace.
