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August 20, 2025
North Carolina recently amended its General Statutes that cover workplace violence prevention. See 2025 N.C. SB 311. North Carolina’s Workplace Violence Prevention Act (WVPA) allows employers to seek civil no-contact orders (legal directives that restrict communication or physical proximity between individuals) on behalf of employees who have experienced “unlawful conduct” (including physical violence or threats) in the workplace. The WVPA also protects employees from discrimination and retaliation for taking time off from work to seek protective orders related to domestic violence or other forms of harassment.
The Law and Order Act (Act) amends the WVPA and became effective on July 9, 2025. The key provisions of the Act extend no-contact order protections to employers and expand the definition of unlawful conduct to cover certain forms of mass picketing.
Extension of Civil No-Contact Order Protections to Employers
Previously, employers could seek a civil no-contact order only on behalf of an employee. Effective July 9, employers may seek such orders for themselves when they have experienced unlawful conduct at the workplace.
Unlawful Conduct May Include Mass Picketing
The Act clarifies that certain forms of mass picketing – particularly forms that obstruct or interfere with workplace entrances, exits, or public roads – can be considered unlawful conduct under the state’s workplace violence prevention laws. However, such laws do not apply to peaceful demonstrations, informational picketing, or labor activity that is protected by the National Labor Relations Act or the North Carolina Constitution, provided that the activity does not include violence, threats, or obstruction of workplace access.
North Carolina Employer Takeaways
Know your rights and obligations under the Workplace Violence Prevention Act and the Law and Order Act. To maintain a productive workforce, it is important for employees to feel safe and protected.
The author of this article, Patricia Tsipras, is a member of the Bar of Pennsylvania. This article is designed to provide one perspective regarding recent legal developments, and is not intended to serve as legal advice in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, or any other jurisdiction, nor does it establish an attorney-client relationship with any reader of the article where one does not exist. Always consult an attorney with specific legal issues.
