What Are The Three Types of Harassment In A Hostile Work Environment?
By Corey Hanrahan
What are the three types of harassment in a hostile work environment? There are three main types of hostile work environment harassment, like sexual harassment: (1) physical, (2) verbal, and (3) visual.
“…This can include unwelcome sexual comments about an employee’s appearance or clothing (e.g., comments about an employee’s buttocks, breasts, other body parts, or even the tightness of the employee’s clothing)…“
Hostile environment sexual harassment claims may arise where an employee is subject to unwanted touching. As an aside, physical sexual harassment is oftentimes seen as more offensive than verbal sexual harassment. Additionally, employees can experience sexual harassment at work without physical touching, and without spoken words. One case in particular held that a male supervisor regularly staring at an female employee’s breasts for several years while working together was sufficient to uphold a sexual harassment claim. The court, in that case, wrote, “a man’s repeated starting at a woman’s breasts [cannot] be… understood as anything other than sexual.”
In addition to physical harassment, verbal harassment generally consists of offensive sexual remarks or offensive nonsexual statements. This can include unwelcome sexual comments about an employee’s appearance or clothing (e.g., comments about an employee’s buttocks, breasts, other body parts, or even the tightness of the employee’s clothing).
Lastly, visual displays of offensive materials, like pornographic pictures, can contribute to a hostile work environment.
Whether specific conduct rises to the level of actionable harassment usually requires an analysis from an experienced sexual harassment attorney, to make sure that the facts and case are properly prepared. If you have been subjected to any form of harassment at work, including sexual harassment or sexual assault, contact The Hanrahan Firm for a free consultation.
