New York City Workplace Harassment Attorneys

at Akin & Smith provide representation in cases of harassment at work.

Harassment in the office should not be tolerated and companies that want their employees to thrive and be productive develop effective policies that address worker complaints or grievances. Still, job harassment occurs. How can you tell if you’ve been a victim of harassment?

Workplace harassment can take a variety of different forms:

• Bullying: Most people are familiar with the bullying that occurs in childhood but bullying can be done by adults just as well. Bullying can be psychological or physical but it is always threatening behavior against an individual by one or more persons.
• Psychological harassment: An employee can be psychologically harassed by an individual or through crowd behavior. This harassment is humiliating or abusive behavior which is intended to lower a person’s self-esteem or publicly embarrass them. It can be verbal abuse, offensive gestures or actions used to torment a fellow worker.
• Stalking: A person is a victim of stalking when another person follows or observes the victim without their consent to the point where the victim’s privacy is unacceptably intruded upon and he or she feels unsafe.
• Racial harassment: Harassment of a racial nature occurs when an individual is targeted because of their race or ethnicity. The harassment can include offensive language or actions specifically intended to make the individual feel degraded because of their race or ethnicity.
• Sexual harassment: Harassment that is sexual, gender, or sexual orientation-based involves unwanted and unwelcome words, actions, or gestures of a sexual nature that make the individual feel uncomfortable. In cases of sexual harassment, it is the perception of the victim that they are being sexually harassed that takes precedence over the intentions of the harasser.
• Religious harassment: Individuals face religious harassment if verbal, psychological or physical harassment is used against a person because they practice a specific religion. At times, this occurs in tandem with harassment because of ethnicity.

In colloquial speech, “harassment” can be used as meaning merely bothering or annoying behavior. But in a workplace or place of employment, harassment laws and policies are exist to protect employees from offensive words and conduct that create a hostile work environment.

If you feel like you’ve been the victim of workplace harassment and your employer has not been responsive at addressing the behavior, contact the Akin & Smith New York City law offices and we can advise you about your options.