Chattanooga Workplace Harassment Attorneys

Harassment in the workplace may prevent you from feeling safe and doing your best job at work. If you experienced harassment in the workplace, do not hesitate to contact a Chattanooga harassment lawyer to discuss your options.

A lawyer could work with individuals to fight workplace harassment and help make everyone feel comfortable at work. A lawyer could understand how sensitive and upsetting encountering this issue can be and aim to be as approachable as possible to meet all your needs.

Chattanooga and federal laws prohibit harassment. An experienced employment attorney could handle workplace harassment matters that deal with alleged violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA).

What Are Protected Classes?

Federal law prohibits harassment if it is based on:

If someone experienced unwelcome behavior because of their membership in one of these protected classes and the conduct is so severe and pervasive that it could create a hostile work environment, they may have a viable harassment claim.

What Constitutes Sexual Harassment?

Sexual harassment can involve any two people in a workplace including supervisors, co-workers, or customers. Although many people picture sexual harassment as taking place between a supervisor and a subordinate employee, this is not necessarily true. Employers can be subject to liability for directly participating or failing to prevent harassment within the workplace.

Sexual harassment creates a hostile work environment. Examples of unwelcome and offensive conduct that may amount to sexual harassment include touching, indecent gestures, requesting sexual favors, using vulgar language, displaying sexual imagery, and discussing sexual conduct. As a Chattanooga harassment lawyer knows, if an employer denied someone opportunities at work for failing to engage in sexual activities or grant sexual favors, they may have a case of quid pro quo harassment.

Filing a Harassment Claim

If an employer is unable or unwilling to resolve a harassment issue an employee brought to their attention, the employee’s only other option may be to file a formal claim. In this scenario, the individual would file a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). They may also prepare a written complaint to their employer and review any sexual harassment policies the company has in place to deal with this issue.

When the EEOC reviews harassment claims they examine the frequency and severity of the reported incidents. Although infrequent, an extreme incident that occurred once or twice may amount to sexual harassment. Incidents that are not as severe may be sexual harassment if they occurred multiple times. Not all offensive conduct or comments constitute harassment. Someone who feels they are the subject of harassment should keep track of all alleged instances of harassment for an attorney to review.

Ask a Chattanooga Workplace Harassment Attorney

If you would like to file a harassment claim against an employer, your job is legally protected. The law protects employees from employer retaliation for reporting harassment. If you experienced workplace harassment, a lawyer at Employment and Commerce Law Group could be an ally. To find out if a Chattanooga harassment lawyer could help your case, contact an attorney to schedule a consultation.