Some may be surprised to know that the implementation of laws prohibiting sexual harassment in the workplace is relatively recent, beginning with Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 in the United States. The global workplace has followed with many countries writing similar sexual harassment provisions into the law. Recently, global protection from sexual harassment has evolved dramatically. Over the past two years, Hong Kong, India, Israel, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, and Vietnam have all passed provisions to prevent sexual harassment from occurring. Just this year, Israel expanded its sexual harassment law to include photographs, film, or recordings published without consent. Japan passed legislation to provide counseling to victims of sexual harassment. Singapore has gone as far as to criminalize the act of sexual harassment through the Protection from Harassment Act of 2014. Although the United States was perhaps the first to protect employees from sexual harassment in the workplace, this is now a right that employees can expect globally.
Questions:
1) How will the expansion of sexual harassment laws globally affect company policies and procedures?
2) How will companies handle the increase in possible lawsuits stemming from sexual harassment legislation?