Sexual harassment is unwanted, unlawful sexual advances that occur within a work environment. This includes unrequited physical or verbal behaviors. Sexual harassment is also defined as discrimination against a person’s gender and/or sexual orientation.

Quid pro quo is a term that applies to sexual harassment cases in which the victim is asked to engage in or to tolerate certain unwanted behaviors in exchange for keeping his/her job or even receiving a promotion. A typical example of quid pro quo would be a boss asking an employee to engage in a sex act and telling the employee that he/she will be fired if he/she refuses. In quid pro quo cases, the employee must submit to the harasser’s demands or he/she will be threatened with a vast array of consequences.

Victims of quid pro quo harassment usually feel overwhelmed and may not be sure of what they should do because they are afraid that they will lose their jobs. However, it is important for these victims to remember that they have rights, and that sexual harassment of any form is illegal.

Hostile work environment is a term that applies to sexual harassment cases in which the victim feels offended in his/her place of work. When a person is in a hostile work environment, it can be very hard for him/her to focus on his/her work, as he/she will always feel insecure, unsafe, or threatened in his/her workplace. People who are in hostile work environments may be subject to unwanted physical touching, verbal abuse, or obscene images. An example of a hostile work environment would be an employee having to see a lewd, offensive comic that an employer or co-worker posted in a common.

Sexual harassment is not only extremely invasive, but also unlawful, and must be reported from the onset. If instances of sexual harassment are not reported, it is likely that the harassment will continue, or even become worse as time progresses. For this reason, it is always in a person’s best interest to report harassment as soon as it starts to either his/her manager, supervisor, upper management, or human resources department.

If you would like to speak with one of our knowledgeable Los Angeles sexual harassment attorneys, please call 1-888-252-7991 to schedule your case evaluation.