Examples of unlawful harassment include when:

• Submission to harassment is explicitly or implicitly made a term or a condition of an individual’s employment;
• Submission to, or rejection of, harassment is used as the basis for adverse employment decisions, such as demotion, suspension or discharge;
• The harassing conduct negatively impacts the individual’s work performance, or creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive work environment.

Within this definition, two distinct categories of sexual harassment claims are generally recognized: (1) Quid Pro Quo Harassment; and (2) Hostile Environment Harassment.

 Quid Pro Quo Harassment Attorney

"Quid Pro Quo" harassment occurs when submission to sexual activity or conduct is made either an explicit or implicit condition of employment benefits, and submission to or rejection of such conduct by the employee is used as the basis for employment decisions.

Hostile Environment Harassment Attorney

"Hostile Environment" sexual harassment exists when unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, or other gender-related verbal or physical conduct occurs at work, or on the job or by a supervisor, manager, boss or co-worker; where such conduct has the purpose or effect of interfering with work performance or creating an intimidating hostile or offensive working environment. An employee can show he or she is working in a hostile work or job environment when the unlawful conduct is severe or pervasive and interferes with the employee’s ability to do his or her job.

Types of Sexual Harassment BehavioTypes of Sexual Harassment Behavior

• Unwanted sexual advances or propositions.
• Offering employment, continued employment, promotion or benefits of employment in exchange for sexual favors.
• Threatening retaliation after a negative response to sexual advances.
• Intentional unwanted physical conduct: kissing, touching, groping, patting, hugging, or brushing against a person’s body, and impeding or blocking movement.
• Visual conduct: Leering, staring, making sexual gestures, and displaying sexually suggestive objects or pictures, magazines, cartoons or posters.
• Verbal conduct: Making or using derogatory comments, epithets, slurs, jokes, verbal abuse of a sexual nature, commentaries about an individual’s body or appearance, sexually degrading words used to describe an individual, suggestive or obscene letters, memos, notes or invitations, and sexually explicit statements, questions, or anecdotes.