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Employment & Labor

Workplace Harassment — Ley Karin

Law 21.643 obliges employers in Chile to have a harassment protocol and to investigate on strict deadlines. Not having one is itself a breach.

What this involves

Law 21.643, in force since 2024, changed what Chilean employers must do about workplace harassment and violence. It requires a written prevention protocol, defined reporting channels, and a formal investigation with mandatory deadlines once a complaint is received. The obligations reach subsidiaries of foreign companies operating in Chile.

Two failures are common. The first is having no protocol at all, which is a breach independent of whether any incident occurred. The second is having one imported from the parent company that does not follow the Chilean procedure or its deadlines — which tends to surface at the worst moment, in the middle of a live complaint.

What we handle

Protocol design

A prevention and investigation protocol built to Chilean requirements and integrated into the Reglamento Interno, not bolted on beside it.

Reporting channels

Channels that meet the confidentiality and accessibility standards the law expects, including for remote and distributed teams.

Conducting investigations

Running the investigation within the legal deadlines, with the impartiality, documentation and protective measures the procedure requires.

Defense and representation

Representation of the employer, or of a person under investigation, where a complaint escalates to the Labor Inspectorate or the courts.

Training

Practical training for managers and staff on what the law requires and how the protocol operates in your organization.

How we run this for a client abroad

01

Assessment first

You send the documents you have. We tell you what applies, what it costs and how long it takes — before you commit to anything.

02

Power of attorney

Granted at a Chilean consulate or apostilled where you live. It lets us act for you in Chile without you travelling.

03

We file, you get updates

Our attorneys handle the filings and appearances in Chile. You get plain-English updates at every stage.

Workplace Harassment — Ley Karin — common questions

What English-speaking clients ask us most about this specific service.

Does Ley Karin apply to my company?
It applies broadly to employers with staff in Chile, including Chilean subsidiaries and branches of foreign companies. Being small does not exempt you from having a protocol, and the obligation exists whether or not anyone has ever complained.
What happens when a complaint is received?
The law sets a procedure with mandatory steps and deadlines: receiving the report, adopting protective measures, conducting the investigation and issuing a conclusion, with reporting to the Labor Inspectorate in defined circumstances. Missing a deadline is a breach on its own, independent of the merits of the complaint.
Can we use our US harassment policy?
Not as-is. Group policies are useful as a starting point for values and standards, but the Chilean procedure, its deadlines, its protective measures and its reporting obligations are specific. A policy that does not follow them will not satisfy the law even if it is stricter in substance.
What if the complaint is against a senior manager?
The protocol has to contemplate that scenario, including who investigates when the ordinary decision-maker is implicated. External investigation is often the right answer, both for impartiality and for the defensibility of the outcome. Designing this before it happens is much easier than improvising during a live complaint.

Talk to a Chilean lawyer about Ley Karin and workplace harassment

Get an initial assessment in English — confidential, with no obligation.

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