Sexual harassment is prohibited by state and federal law. Under these laws, sexual harassment is when an employer treats an employee differently in regards to conditions, terms and privileges in their employment because of their sex. If you think you may be victim to these actions, it’s important to get in touch with a Tulsa sexual assault attorney immediately.
Employment Conditioned on Sexual Favors
By law, an employer cannot condition employment privileges based on the granting of sexual favors, nor can they deny privileges due to an employee’s refusal to grant sexual favors. This form of sexual harassment is typically known as “quid pro quo harassment”, implying that the employee’s treatment is dependant upon their willingness to grant sexual favors to upper-level employers.
Sexually Hostile Work Environments
Law also prohibits maintaining a sexually hostile work environment–regardless of if the hostility is being caused by co-workers, supervisors, or managers. In order to be legally actionable, harassment must be prevalent enough to be altering and hindering the employee’s work conditions. Traditionally, this form of harassment has been called “hostile environment harassment”; thus distinguishing it from the aforementioned “quid pro quo harassment”.
Retaliation for Reporting Harassment
A related sexual harassment issue concerns retaliation for complaining or reporting something the employee believed to be considered sexual harassment. Law prohibits the employer from retaliation against employees who report sexual harassment, regardless of if the alleged harassment was directed at themselves personally or directed at other employees within the workplace.
Seeking Legal Aid Immediately is Imperative
More so than other areas of employment law, legal rights of the employee dealing with the sexual harassment can depend upon the actions of the employee themselves. Therefore, it is strongly suggested to anyone who may think they are/were the subject of any form of sexual harassment to seek strong legal counsel from an experienced Tulsa sexual harassment attorney as soon as possible. Actions an employee may take when responding to sexual harassment can potentially determine the legal rights the employee maintains.
Frank Hagedorn, Tulsa sexual harassment attorney, has over 35 years of experience dealing with these delicate matters, and understands how difficult they can be handle. He has seen firsthand the grief and stress that comes with sexual harassment, and will work tirelessly for his clients to achieve their goals. I make myself available to schedule appointments around my clients needs so they have legal assistance on their side immediately following an incident.