No matter the victim’s sex, gender, or sexual orientation, it is against the law for employers to permit sexual harassment at work under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. All employers must abide with this regulation.
Additional safeguards against sexual harassment are in place under California law. According to state law, all employees—including independent contractors, volunteers, and interns—are entitled to rights against sexual harassment. State law further stipulates that businesses must take measures to stop sexual harassment before it even occurs, which requires at the very least that a sexual harassment written policy be in place.
Workplace sexual harassment can take many different forms. Here, we’d want to go over a few of the ways that this behavior occurs most frequently. If you believe you have been the victim of any type of sexual harassment, contact PLBH at (800) 435-7542 to request a legal consultation with a workplace harassment attorney today.
Physical harassment
Unwanted touching, kissing, unwanted hugging, patting or stroking activities, unwanted massaging, standing too close to someone, persistently brushing up against someone, and other behaviors are examples of this sort of sexual harassment, which is maybe the most well-known.
Verbal harassment
This sort of sexual harassment centers on remarks that may be disparaging or insulting that are frequently made in the workplace. One example of this is when a coworker refers to a person by a nickname like “sweetheart,” “sexy,” “baby,” and others. Inappropriate and unwanted remarks on how someone looks or is dressed might also fall under this category.
Non-verbal harassment
This can include actions intended to intimidate someone, such as staring at someone, winking at them, making sexual gestures, standing in a doorway, and more.
Threats or requests
A request for sexual favors in exchange for advantages like increases or promotions may fall under this category of sexual harassment. Threats of promotion or termination for declining to perform sexual favors are another example of this.
It is illegally for an employer to retaliate if you speak out against someone who harasses you
Additionally, Title VII prohibits retaliation by an employer or coworker against someone who has spoken out against or reported sexual harassment, taken part in an inquiry into it, or filed a lawsuit connected to it. Retaliation in such cases could include wrongful termination, demotion, receiving an assignment to a different shift, position, or location, pay reductions or a reduction in hours and others.
You have rights if you believe you have been the victim of sexual harassment. Contact PLBH at (800) 435-7542 now to request a consultation and learn how we can help.