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Saturday, May 31, 2014

What is a Hostile Work Environment?

The traditional conception of sexual harassment is simple and easily spotted: an official in a position of power makes an unwanted sexual advance at a less powerful employee and makes clear that the employee's success at the workplace will be determined by his or her willingness to do what the official wishes.

That form of sexual harassment exists and it is utterly unacceptable. However, The Cochran Firm's employment lawyers understand that sexual harassment can take other forms, one of which is the hostile work environment.

Hostile work environment claims are more about company culture than specific threats or advances. A hostile work environment is one in which employees are made to feel uncomfortable and sexualized as a result of organizational norms of behavior.

Examples of ways in which a hostile work environment can be created include:

  • Frequent crude or sexual jokes
  • The posting of sexually explicit cartoons in offices, cubicles or common areas
  • An atmosphere of pervasive disrespect in a sexualized manner
Because there's no one instigating incident in most hostile work environment claims, a successful suit requires a skilled employment lawyer with experience in demonstrating the difficulty of work environments.

The Cochran Firm offers precisely this experience. We know how to craft a compelling case.


If you've been the victim of sexual harassment and need an experienced employment lawyer, please contact The Cochran Firm today for a free consultation.

posted by Admin at 12:16 PM

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The Cochran Firm handles Civil Litigation and Criminal Defense claims for clients throughout the United States of America. The information on this website does not constitute legal advice nor form an attorney-client relationship.Please contact The Cochran Firm today to schedule a free consultation.

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