Sexual harassment in the workplace is unfortunately a common occurrence. There’s quite a range of conduct that may constitute sexual harassment, although there is no bright line test to determine when such conduct is actionable. Employees should be aware of where that line may be drawn, as it can affect numerous aspects of the work environment and make a great job miserable — especially for those who are victims of sexual harassment.
Mr. Tobin has litigated numerous sexual harassment claims during his almost two decades of practice and has a wealth of knowledge as to how an employee should address such harassment given a specific situation. Sexual harassment includes unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical harassment of a sexual nature. Generally speaking, while neither Florida nor Federal law prohibits teasing or isolated incidents that aren’t very serious, such conduct can morph into illegal conduct when it’s so frequent or severe that it creates a hostile or offensive work environment or when it results in an adverse employment decision.
This offensive conduct may be things like offensive jokes, slurs, epithets or name calling, as well as physical threats or intimidation, and insults. This also can include offensive objects or pictures, and other conduct that gets in the way of work. Sexual harassment can occur in many ways. It’s not just your boss or the person in the next cubicle; it can be a delivery person or a person in another department with whom you have to deal regularly. It can also be sexual harassment if your desk is by the break room and you are forced to hear a group on a coffee break telling inappropriate jokes every day.
Speak with Mr. Tobin about the situation you’re dealing with at work. Contact him at (813) 452-6199 or email at btobin@tobinlawgroup.com and get answers to your questions about sexual harassment from an experienced specialist.
