Labor & Employment

SEXUAL HARASSMENT

Are you:

  • Pressured to have sex to keep your job or to gain a promotion?
  • Subjected to sexual jokes, sexual attention or demeaning sexual inquiries and vulgarities?
  • Forced to endure unwanted touching at work?
  • Exposed to sexually offensive signs, cartoons, calendars, literature or photographs displayed in plain view?
  • Subjected to inappropriate comments , offensive or degrading language by supervisors or co-workers?
  • Being retaliated against after complaining about sexual harassment?

Sexual harassment may or may not involve any physical contact. Words alone are typically sufficient to constitute sexual harassment. Sexual harassment may also occur where submission to or rejection of harassing conduct is made a condition of employment, or is used as a basis for employment decisions. Sexual harassment can occur when unwelcome sexual conduct interferes with an employee's job performance or creates an intimidating, offensive or hostile work environment.

A large percentage of women have endured sexual harassment in the workplace. However, same-sex sexual harassment is a growing problem as well.

Sexual harassment can have a detrimental effect upon a person’s emotional and physical health. Medical problems can arise from the added stress. Financial repercussions may be endured if the victim of sexual harassment may miss days of work or take leaves of absence as an avoidance technique. Often, victims of sexual harassment have to transfer to another location.

Laura Davenport is aware of the emotional toll that sexual harassment takes on her clients and is mindful that clients and their families may seek different goals in addressing the issue of sexual harassment.