New obligations on employers to combat harassment at work

On 17 October 2023, the Romanian Government adopted Decision no. 970/2023 on the methodology to prevent and combat moral and sexual harassment at work, measures all employers in Romania are obliged to implement by 16 April 2024.

The main obligations on employers are as follows:

• develop an internal procedure for recruiting and selecting new employees, including a policy for promotion and filling decision-making positions
• implement guidelines on preventing and combating moral or gender-based harassment tailored to their specific working conditions
• introduce into their internal regulations the provisions of Government Ordinance no. 137/2000 on the prevention and punishment of all forms of discrimination and those of Law no. 202/2002 on equal opportunities and equal treatment between women and men
• prohibit and punish all actions that may lead to moral or gender-based harassment at work
• inform and train all employees by organising yearly training courses based on the provisions of the methodology
• publish the methodology through all internal means of employee communication/information

Employers who fail to comply with this Government Decision and to implement the procedure to prevent and combat moral and sexual harassment risk fines of up to 200,000 lei.

Source: Government Decision no. 970/2023 approving the methodology to prevent and combat moral and sexual harassment at work.