EEOC Updates Anti-Harassment Guidance for First Time in 25 Years

On April 29, 2024, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (the “EEOC” or the “Commission”) published its “Enforcement Guidance on Harassment in the Workplace” (the “Guidance”), which is the first harassment guidance issued by the EEOC since 1999.  (See here.)  Harassment claims continue to be prevalent in the workplace.  During the five fiscal years (“FY”) ending with FY 2023, over one-third of the discrimination charges received by the EEOC included an allegation of unlawful harassment based on race, sex, disability, or other protected characteristic.  The Guidance now serves as a single resource for workplace harassment laws and includes discussion of several timely topics, including, but not limited to, protections for LGBTQ+ workers, harassment in the remote workplace, and the interplay between religious freedom and unlawful harassment.  To read more, see our recent article.