Illinois Employment Discrimination Attorney Assisting Clients with Hostile Work Environment Claims in Park Ridge

When you are being harassed at work in Park Ridge, Illinois, you may be eligible to file a hostile work environment claim. It is important to understand that harassment at work can take many forms, and a hostile work environment is one type of unlawful harassment that can occur. Depending upon the nature of the harassment that led to a hostile work environment, as well as other factors specific to your case, you may be able to file a federal claim through the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) or a claim under the Illinois Human Rights Act through the Illinois Department of Human Rights.

Filing a hostile work environment claim can be a complex process, and it is important to ensure that you follow at requirements and deadlines. An experienced Park Ridge hostile work environment attorney can assist with your case.

Understanding the Relationship Between Harassment and a Hostile Work Environment

As the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) explains, there are two basic types of harassment that can occur at work that are illegal:

• Quid Pro Quo Harassment (or, “this for that”); and
• Hostile Work Environment Harassment.

What is a hostile work environment? The DOL defines it as an environment that results from “the unwelcome conduct of supervisors, co-workers, customers, contractors, or anyone else with whom the victim interacts on the job, and the unwelcome conduct renders the workplace atmosphere intimidating, hostile, or offensive.” A hostile work environment is distinct from quid pro quo harassment, which typically involves “a tangible employment decision based upon the employee’s acceptance or rejection of unwelcome sexual advances or requests for sexual favors.”

Behaviors at Work in Park Ridge, IL That Can Create a Hostile Work Environment

What type of activities or behaviors at work can be severe enough to lead to a hostile work environment? The DOL gives some of the following examples:

• Discussion about sexual activities at work;
• Telling “off-color” jokes about race, religion, sex, disability, or other protected categories;
• Unnecessary touching at work;
• Commenting on an employee’s physical attributes;
• Displaying sexually suggestive images;
• Displaying racially insensitive images;
• Using demeaning language with regard to a person’s race, religion, sex, disability, or another protected characteristic;
• Using indecent gestures at work;
• Using crude language at work;
• Sabotaging an employee’s work; and
• Engaging in otherwise hostile physical conduct with an employee.

It is important to be clear that certain behaviors at work that might feel like harassment to an employee may not be sufficient to rise to the level of creating a hostile work environment. A hostile work environment attorney in Park Ridge can assist you with your case.

Contact a Park Ridge Hostile Work Environment Lawyer

When you are being harassed at work and that harassment rises to the level of creating a hostile work environment, you may be able to file a claim. An experienced Park Ridge hostile work environment lawyer can help you to determine where to file your claim and how to present your case. Contact the Law Office of Mitchell A. Kline today for more information.

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