Workplace Harassment

Harassment is by no means limited to sexually-charged work environments. Any protected class of employee is shielded from unwelcome verbal or physical conduct. It is against the law to allow harassment in the workplace based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, disability, national origin, age or a person's defense of employee rights (employer retaliation). For harassment in the workplace to be a legal violation, it must be severe or pervasive enough to create a hostile work environment or it must result in a tangible change in the employee's work status or benefits.

Off handed comments and simple teasing are generally not prohibited. For example, an email accidentally sent to workplace addresses with a somewhat racially-charged joke would not generally be enough to constitute harassment. On the other hand, if employees redecorated someone's office in highly offensive, very racially-charged décor, that would be harassment. If the employee who worked in the office felt fearful or uncomfortable coming into work afterwards, or even if a witness of the situation felt that way, it would be up to the supervisors and managers to discipline and train the harassing employees in an effort to stop the behavior. When supervisors, HR departments or managers refuse to take action to stop harassment, they become party to the harassment. If your workplace is hostile due to harassment, contact an experienced unemployment attorney that handles workplace harassment cases.

Anyone in the workplace can cause harassment, even non-employees. There is one type of harassment that can only be caused by a supervisor though -when harassing conduct results in a change in the employee's employment status. This type of harassment may result in firing, demotion, discipline, wage decreases or reduced benefits. A common example of this scenario is sexual harassment where a supervisor promises employment advances to an employee who allows the conduct to go on unchecked. Because these situations involve people in supervisory positions, it is important to contact a Jacksonville workplace harassment lawyer if anything of this nature happens to you.

If you aren't certain if you have faced harassment in the workplace, it is advisable to contact a lawyer that handles workplace harassment to discuss your case. Our law firm offers free initial consultations and case evaluations. Call today to find out what great qualities have made our attorney a top Jacksonville unemployment compensation attorney.