Source date: 2026-03-17
A Guide to Combat Sexual Harassment at Work Published on March 18, 2026 - Entreprendre Service Public / Directorate of Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)
The Ministry of Labor and Solidarity has published a practical and legal guide to better combat sexual harassment and sexist behavior at work. This initiative follows the law to freely choose one's professional future, enacted on September 5, 2018.
Image 1 Credits: Pixel-Shot - stockabode.com
The guide "Sexual Harassment and Sexist Behavior at Work: Prevent, Act, Sanction" helps employers and employees better understand their rights and responsibilities. It also specifies the penalties faced by perpetrators of harassment or sexist behavior in the workplace. It outlines the legal elements governing harassment and sexist behavior at work. Additionally, it provides information on legal actions that can be taken by employees who are victims or witnesses of sexual harassment.
Employers have a duty to prevent harassment, or they risk being held liable in court. They must:
-
inform their employees, candidates, and interns about sexual harassment;
-
include in the company's internal regulations the provisions of the labor code related to this topic;
-
establish an internal reporting procedure for incidents of sexual harassment;
-
designate a referent for combating sexual harassment and sexist behavior.
If the employer does not act in cases of sexual harassment, the employee has 5 years to bring the matter before the Labor Court.
Regarding the elected referent, they must be part of the staff and also designated by the CSE: titleContent of the company.
Companies with at least 250 employees must designate a second referent who will carry out awareness-raising actions, train employees on this topic, and implement the internal reporting procedure.
This guide also specifies the reporting procedures to follow as a victim and witness.
Moreover, labor inspectors and occupational health professionals must be trained on these issues.
The annexes of the guide contain examples of letters drafted to report a case of harassment to one's employer.
Legal Texts and References
See also
-
Sexual or Sexist Harassment Service Public
-
Sexual Harassment and Sexist Behavior at Work: Prevent, Act, Sanction Ministry of Labor
CSE:
Social and Economic Committee
Source: Service-Public professionals
