California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) has issued updates to the following notices with new revision dates:

• Workplace Discrimination & Harassment (November 2019)
• Transgender Rights in the Workplace (December 2019)
• Family Care & Medical Leave & Pregnancy Disability Leave (December 2019)

Keep reading to find out all the details for employers and employees.

Workplace Discrimination & Harassment

Effective January 1, 2020, workplace protections related to race now include—but are not limited to—hair texture and protective hairstyles such as braids, locks, and twists. These changes are based on The Crown Act, a law passed to stop the enforcement of grooming policies that disproportionately affect certain minority groups.

The updated notice also includes new information on filing complaints. Workplace discrimination or harassment complaints must now be filed within 3 years (previously 1 year) of the last act of discrimination or harassment. However, for victims under the age of 18, complaints must also be filed within 3 years of the last act of discrimination or harassment, or 1 year after the victim’s 18th birthday, whichever comes later.

Transgender Rights in the Workplace

The notice outlining workplace rights for transgender individuals now includes the same time frame for filing discrimination complaints as noted above: within 3 years of the act of discrimination.

Family Care & Medical Leave & Pregnancy Disability Leave

The revised notice states that under the California Family Rights Act of 1993, employees may have the right to take Family Care or Medical Leave for the following reasons:

• The birth, adoption, or foster care placement of their child
• Their own serious health condition or that of their child, parent, or spouse

Plus, the notice now states that California law prohibits employers from denying or interfering with employees’ requests for Pregnancy Disability Leave.

Compliance Made Easy!

Our California posters have undergone 14 required revisions since 2016. For this reason, we encourage you to order our 1-Year Compliance Plan. Under the plan, you’ll receive free poster updates for mandatory changes, no matter how many occur during the 12-month period, which means you can always count on Poster Compliance Center to keep your business in compliance.