insidious form of discrimination

Sexual Harassment

Sexual harassment is an insidious form of discrimination, and Meridian Law encourages anyone subject to sexual harassment to seek help to 1) put a stop to it and 2) recover for the mental, emotional, and/or physical injuries suffered. Sexual harassment includes unwelcome verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature when:

• Submission to the conduct is explicitly or implicitly made a term or condition of employment;
• submission to, or rejection of, the conduct is used as the basis for an employment decision;
• the conduct has the effect of unreasonably interfering with work performance or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment.

Sexual assault is the obvious form of sexual harassment. However, sexual harassment can occur in many other ways. The following acts may constitute sexual harassment:

• propositions or pressure to engage in sexual activity;
• repeated body contact;
• repeated sexual jokes, innuendos or comments;
• constant leering or staring;
• inappropriate comments concerning appearance;
• hiring or promoting a sex partner over more qualified persons.

Women are not the only victims of sexual harassment. Men may also be harassed. Employees often do not report harassment out of ignorance of the law or fear of reprisal. However, you should not be afraid to stop the harassment and obtain relief.  

Employers may be liable for monetary compensation and other forms of relief to employees who are victims of sexual harassment by:

• the owner or manager; 
• supervisors, whether​ or not the employer knew of the sexual harassment;
• coworkers, when the employer knew or should have known of the sexual harassment and failed to take immediate corrective action;
• non-employees in the workplace when the employer knew, or should have known of the sexual harassment and failed to take immediate corrective action.

For more information on what might constitute sexual harassment, as well as what legal rights you have, please read our blog articles and contact us directly. We can help you further understand how important it is to fight the horrible illegalities of discrimination, as well as determine what your legal rights are.