Sexual harassment in the workplace is different forms of inappropriate conduct. It could be a man saying or doing things to a woman, a woman to another woman, a man to a man, or a woman to a man. So, it can happen in all kinds of contexts, but essentially it’s saying things that are inappropriate or injecting sexuality into the workplace.
For example, a boss saying to their subordinate that they want to go out with them, hinting or suggesting a relationship, or maybe conditioning advancement or work on some sort of sexual or romantic favors. We call that quid pro quo sexual harassment.
It can also be just an environment that is uncomfortable for people, like sexual jokes, sexual images in the workplace. It doesn’t strictly have to be romantic; it can also be offensively sexual. It normally happens to females in a male-dominated environment where there isn’t sensitivity and there isn’t a willingness to protect the female from that type of behavior. Or it happens in small businesses where the boss feels like they can do whatever they want and they use the work environment as their sexual playground, trying to find sexual partners, which is completely inappropriate.
So our job at Venardi Zurada is to help clients who are in those situations and make sure that employers know the workplace is a place for people to work and to be judged on their merits, not a place to find dates or to create a sexualized work environment.
View more Sexual Harassment videos here.
Disclaimer: Attorney advertising. This is a dramatization. Past results do not guarantee future performance. Attorneys Mark Venardi and Martin Zurada are admitted to practice law in California only. This communication does not establish an attorney-client relationship, and Venardi Zurada LLP must accept your case before we will provide any legal services.
