The BE HEARD in the Workplace Act is a comprehensive law designed to prevent discrimination and harassment at work. It requires most employers (those with 15 or more employees) to create and maintain clear anti-discrimination policies that explain what harassment is, how employees can report it, and what the company will do about complaints. These policies must be given to all employees when they're hired and updated annually, and posted on the company website in plain language and accessible formats for people with disabilities and non-English speakers. Employers who don't follow these rules can be fined up to $1,000, or $5,000 or more if they repeatedly ignore the requirements.

The law also requires the government to provide training to employees about preventing harassment and discrimination, with special training for supervisors on how to respond to complaints and prevent retaliation. For smaller companies with fewer than 15 employees, the government will create free sample policies and training materials they can use. The law expands what counts as sex discrimination to explicitly include sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy, and sex-based stereotypes. It also raises the minimum wage for tipped employees, starting at $3.60 per hour and gradually increasing until it matches the regular minimum wage.

To better understand the problem, the law creates several research initiatives: a national survey every three years to measure how common harassment is across different industries and worker groups, a task force to study harassment prevention strategies, and funding for scientific research on what actually works to prevent harassment and change workplace culture. The government will also launch a public awareness campaign to help workers understand their rights and how to file complaints with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.