Employers in California have a duty to protect their employees from workplace sexual harassment, no matter who is doing the harassing. Unwanted sexual comments or touching often come from supervisors or coworkers, but inappropriate behavior could also come from outside contractors or customers. Wherever sexual harassment originates, an employer must take action to stop it and prevent it from reoccurring.
A worker in Anchorage recently had a workplace sexual harassment issue with a former supervisor. After quitting the job where she was being sexually harassed after her complaints didn’t halt the harassment, she found a new one at a consulting firm. One of the company’s most important clients was the worker’s former employer, so she was obligated to interact with her former abusive supervisor. While working for her new employer, she struggled with how to best handle the interactions with her former supervisor.
The employee in Anchorage was entitled to protection from sexual harassment. After she informed her new employer about the past incidents, the new employer became aware of the potential for workplace sexual harassment from the former supervisor. If the new employer then failed to prevent further sexual harassment from occurring, they would be held liable for the sexual harassment.
When a person is being sexually harassed at work, it may not be easy for him or her to decide what to do. An attorney may be able to help an employee determine whether he or she has enough evidence of workplace sexual harassment to file a claim against his or her employer. If someone was forced to quit a job because of sexual harassment, the worker may claim compensation for financial damages.
