Facts About Sexual Harassment

What To Know About Sexual Harassment In The Workplace

Employees are protected from unwanted sexual attention in the workplace under federal law, Title VII of The Civil Rights Act of 1964, and many state and local laws.  Employees protected under the federal law must work at a facility that employs 15 or more employees, and covered employees include private and public sector employers, employment agencies, labor organizations, and federal, state, and local governments.

Sexual harassment includes, but is not limited to, the following in the workplace or related to the workplace:

1. Unwanted sexual advances; and/ or
2. Request(s) for sexual favors; and/ or
3. Verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature is considered sexual harassment when it affects an individual’s employment, unreasonably interferes with a individual’s work product or performance; and/ or
4. Conduct of a sexual nature that creates and or contributes to an intimidating, hostile, or offensive work environment.

The harasser can be the victim’s supervisor, an acting agent of the employer, a co-worker or supervisor from another work area or department, or even a non-employee.  Sexual harassment is not determined by the gender of the victim or the harasser; the harasser may be the same sex as the victim.

You may even have a claim, despite the fact that you might not be the intended victim of the harassment. All employees are protected under the law from offensive conduct related to sexual harassment.

If you feel like you have been subjected to unwanted attention of a sexual nature, speak to an attorney to better understand your rights. He or she can help you to determine if you have a claim and a right to legal protection. Neil Henrichsen is an AV rated attorney, the highest rating by one of the nation’s oldest attorney rating agencies.  Contact Neil Henrichsen at nhenrichsen@hslawyers.com