Washington § 49.96.050 - Prohibitions — Hostile work environment — Monitoring. (Effective July 1, 2027.)

(1) A hiring entity may not:

(a) Subject a domestic worker to conduct or allow a domestic worker to be subjected to conduct that creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive work environment with the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with the domestic worker's performance;

(b) Require or request that a domestic worker allow the hiring entity to take or maintain possession, or allow another person to take or maintain possession, of any of a domestic worker's personal effects including, but not limited to, any legal documents, forms of identification, passports, or immigration documents;

(c) Monitor or record, or allow another person to monitor or record, through any means, the activities of a domestic worker using a bathroom or similar facility, of a domestic worker in the domestic worker's private living quarters, or while the domestic worker is engaged in personal activities associated with dressing or changing clothes;

(d) Monitor, record, or interfere, or allow another person to monitor, record, or interfere, with the private communications of a domestic worker;

(e) Request, direct, or require, as a condition of work, that a domestic worker waive the worker's rights under federal, state, or local law; or

(f) Request, direct, or require, as a condition of work, that the domestic worker agree to a mandatory predispute arbitration clause for claims of their legal rights, a nondisclosure or nondisparagement agreement that inhibits the domestic worker from pursuing claims or complaints under this chapter, or a noncompete agreement preventing a domestic worker from working for other hiring entities or in other residences following the termination or conclusion of the domestic worker's work for the hiring entity.

(2) The department may adopt rules to establish additional remedies for violations of this section. The department may apply RCW 49.96.060 through 49.96.090 to enforce any remedies established under this section.

Effective date—2026 c 15: See note following RCW 49.96.010.