One year after the Karin Law: from formal compliance to transformative leadership

The first anniversary of the Karin Law marks an unavoidable point of assessment. Between August 2024 and June 2025, the Labor Directorate received 44,212 complaints, with 87% related to workplace harassment and two-thirds filed by women. These figures are revealing for two reasons: on the one hand, they confirm that the legislation opened up a channel of expression that was previously limited or ignored; on the other, they show that the problem is not isolated, but structural. The law did not create harassment, it made it visible. This initial surge in complaints is not so much a sign of crisis as a sign that the silence is beginning to be broken.

However, the initial momentum seems to be moderating. The rate of complaints, which reached up to 2.4 cases per thousand workers in the first few months, now stands between 1 and 2. This decline could be interpreted as progress in internal conflict management, but it also poses a risk: that the initial visibility will fade if organizations' commitment is not sustained. In practice, a law that is not accompanied by continuous action runs the risk of becoming merely a frame of reference, with no real impact on the daily work experience.

The gap between large companies and PYMEs is another critical issue. While 91% of employees in large corporations say they have protocols and training in place, only 45% in micro-enterprises have access to these tools. This reflects the fact that cultural change progresses at different speeds depending on the size of the organization. Committed leadership cannot be satisfied with complying in one area and postponing in another: it needs to ensure that good practices are universal, even in smaller-scale environments, where labor relations tend to be closer but also more vulnerable.

From my experience in training, I have found that implementing protocols alone is not enough to bring about change. The Karin Law requires a redefinition of leadership: moving from a model centered on formal authority to one based on consistency, active listening, and the creation of safe spaces. One-off training sessions serve to raise awareness, but sustained change is achieved through continuous processes that are integrated into the work routine and supported by senior management. It is not a question of complying for the sake of complying, but of modeling behaviors and reinforcing them until they become part of the organizational DNA.

Effective protocols share one key element: they build trust. A reporting channel is useless if people do not believe their cases will be handled fairly, confidentially, and quickly. Experience shows that when measures are clear, accessible, and applied consistently, participation increases and the work environment improves. This is an indicator that should be measured with the same rigor as financial results, because internal trust has a direct impact on productivity, talent retention, and corporate reputation.

The Karin Law is, in essence, an invitation to rethink the meaning of work. Its effectiveness should not be measured solely by the number of complaints or training sessions carried out, but by the quality of the relationships we build within organizations. Leadership that transforms cultures understands that prevention and respect are not legal obligations, but strategic decisions that strengthen the future of any company. The challenge for the second year will be to consolidate that vision, maintaining the intensity of change and preventing the initial momentum from being diluted by the complacency of having fulfilled “the minimum required.”