Chicago Sexual Harassment Lawyer
As an employer, you want your employees to feel safe and respected on the job, and to be able to perform their duties free from unwanted sexual behavior in the workplace. Meeting this goal and complying with the law requires having appropriate policies and procedures in place that prohibit unlawful workplace sexual harassment and provide employees with an avenue to complain of harassment. If properly drafted and implemented, these same policies and procedures can help protect company management and owners against civil liability whether an employee’s claim is eventually found to have merit or not. An experienced sexual harassment lawyer at Pluymert, MacDonald, Hargrove & Lee can represent employers facing claims of sexual harassment in the workplace. Our knowledgeable Chicago-area attorneys can represent your interests in court, and can advise you on how to proceed when sexual harassment claims arise.
What qualifies as sexual harassment?
The law recognizes two basic forms of sexual harassment in the workplace:
- Hostile work environment, where a workplace is so pervaded by unwelcome sexual conduct in the form of sexually explicit comments or behaviors that an employee cannot feel safe or comfortable
- Quid pro quo harassment, where decisions regarding hiring, salary, promotion, or performance review are or appear to be contingent on the employee providing sexual favors to a supervisor capable of making these types of employment decisions.
Harassing behavior can take many different forms, including:
- Sexually-explicit images displayed in public areas of the workplace
- Unwanted touching or fondling
- Crude, sexual jokes or innuendo
- Requesting or demanding sexual favors in exchange for preferential treatment or protection from termination
- Stalking
Retaliation and constructive termination claims also possible
Where employers fail to intervene to prevent harassment or allow members of management to take advantage of supervisees, and the victim feels compelled to quit or is let go, that employee may have both a sexual harassment claim as well as a constructive termination or retaliation claim. Due to the sensitive nature and numerous legal complexities entailed in such claims, employers should speak with a knowledgeable Illinois employment attorney as soon as allegations of sexual harassment arise.
Help is Available for Handling Chicago Area Sexual Harassment Claims
If you are an employer facing claims of harassment within your company, contact a seasoned, experienced, and effective Chicago area sexual harassment lawyer at Pluymert, MacDonald, Hargrove & Lee for a consultation, in Hoffman Estates at 847-310-0025, or in Des Plaines at 847-298-5030.
