Long Beach Hostile Work Environment Lawyer

Long Beach Hostile Work Environment Attorney

Many different factors can go into creating a hostile work environment. Having to work in an environment you feel is detrimental to your mental health, emotional health, and dignity can be a truly exasperating experience. You may not know immediately what to do next to protect yourself and report such an environment to the right people. You may want to start by contacting a Long Beach hostile work environment lawyer to file a legal claim.

Sexual Harassment Law Firm CA understands how difficult it can be to make a legal claim for a hostile work environment, especially if sexual harassment is the cause of your situation. Being sexually harassed can be one of the most degrading, embarrassing, and painful moments of your life. It can make you question everything you thought you knew about your workplace. Hiring a good lawyer can be the first step toward forcing the behavior to stop.

What Exactly Is a Hostile Work Environment?

A hostile work environment is a workplace in which an employee consistently experiences harassment, abuse, or other forms of severe misconduct that affect the employee’s work performance. The atmosphere in the workplace is conducive to offensive, intimidating, or abusive behavior. It is vital that you understand and recognize the various elements of a hostile work environment. Otherwise, you may not know you are in one:

Unwelcome Conduct

In a hostile work environment, the employee suffers from certain forms of unwanted behavior. Sexual harassment, verbal abuse, threats, and retaliation are all common in a hostile work environment. It may be up to you to report said behavior to the right people. Otherwise, it may not stop. A hostile work environment is usually assessed on a case-by-case basis, as hostility can be subjective.

Protected Characteristics

In a hostile work environment, the harassment you are experiencing must be tied to one or more protected characteristics of the victim. These include:

• Age
• Race
• Gender identity
• Sexual orientation
• Religion
• Disability
• National origin
• Pregnancy

It is illegal to discriminate against anyone in the workplace based on any of these traits. If the discrimination is pervasive throughout the workplace, it can also create a hostile work environment. Even if it is not, you can still hold the perpetrator(s) accountable in a civil claim.

Severity

Generally, a hostile work environment is not created out of an isolated incident. It is the culmination of many incidents involving offensive comments, negative actions, and even unwanted sexual advances. To be considered a hostile work environment in the legal sense, the harassing behavior must be so frequent and severe that it has made it difficult or impossible for the employee to do their job accurately.

Workplace Sexual Harassment

One of the most awkward and painful reasons behind the fostering of a hostile work environment is sexual harassment. Unfortunately, sexual harassment is fairly common in the workplace throughout the country, not just in California. There are workplaces out there that simply ignore certain behaviors, allowing harassers and would-be abusers to get away with making their coworkers uncomfortable or even causing them pain. A good lawyer can make a case for harassment on your behalf.

Sexual harassment is any activity or behavior that is sexually motivated and causes the intended victim to feel unsafe or degraded. It’s not a behavior reserved solely for the workplace. It can happen anywhere. In fact, there may be some workplaces where sexual harassment is so ingrained into the work culture that you may not even be aware it’s happening to you until much later. If it does happen to you, you should immediately contact a Long Beach sexual harassment lawyer for help.

According to a 2024 study by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), nearly 1,500 reported incidents of workplace discrimination in California were motivated entirely by sex in that year alone. These incidents include any discrimination based on gender identity, sexual orientation, or sexual harassment. That same year, there were nearly 2,600 cases of workplace retaliation in California.

Dealing with the emotional fallout of being sexually harassed can be a difficult situation to find yourself in. You may be struggling with everything that’s happened to you. If that’s the case, you may want to consider reaching out to a Long Beach mental health or survivors’ support group, such as Roots Through Recovery or Women’s Empowerment Group. It can feel liberating to speak to someone about what you’re going through, especially if they’ve been through something similar.

What to Do If You Are Sexually Harassed

If you are ever sexually harassed in the workplace, it is absolutely crucial to your legal claim that you do what you can to protect yourself. Be sure to document everything. You simply cannot be thorough enough. The more evidence you have of the incident, the easier it can be to prove your claim. Every workplace has a different protocol for reporting such behavior. Look through your employee handbook to find it. Here are some steps you can take after such an incident:

Report the Incident

If you want action to be taken to remedy your situation, you need to report the sexual harassment to the right people. Depending on how your company deals with incidents of sexual harassment, you may need to report either to your direct supervisor or your company’s human resources (HR) department. You don’t want your case to be ignored because you didn’t report it properly.

File a Complaint

After you have reported the incident to your company, they may not want to do anything about it. They may even attempt to retaliate against you. If so, you may want to consider taking your case further. At the state level, you can report the incident to the California Civil Rights Department (CRD). At the federal level, you can report the incident to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). To make your case as strong as possible, document every interaction.

Consult a Lawyer

After lodging an official complaint with the state or reporting it federally, you should consider consulting a sexual harassment lawyer who can determine what your remaining options may be. A good harassment lawyer can explain your rights under California law and make sure you are kept informed of your ongoing case, both with your company and with various organizations.

FAQs

Is It Worth Taking Legal Action for a Hostile Work Environment?

Only you can determine if it’s worth taking legal action for a hostile work environment. You are the one primarily affected by this situation. If taking legal action to preserve your dignity and hold the right people accountable feels worth it, then you should go for it. Your case’s validity and strength will be determined by the strength of your evidence and the severity of the harassment you endured.

Can You Take Legal Action for a Hostile Work Environment in California?

Yes, you can take legal action for a hostile work environment in California. The state’s labor laws keep workers well-protected from all sorts of questionable actions taken by employers, including fostering a hostile work environment. However, to move forward with a legal claim, you need to prove that you are working in a hostile work environment. That includes documenting your situation. A lawyer can put together a solid case, backed by the evidence gathered.

What Evidence Is Needed to Prove a Hostile Work Environment?

To prove a hostile work environment, you are going to need a lot of hard evidence that supports your claim. This evidence can take the form of:

• Emails
• Text messages
• Witness statements
• Customer feedback
• Employment records
• Performance reviews

Anything that directly connects your situation to negative actions taken by your employer or your coworkers. An employment lawyer can build a strong case with reliable evidence.

How Much Money Is a Hostile Work Environment Case Worth?

How much money a hostile work environment case is worth can vary. Every hostile work environment case is different, with every situation having its own details and circumstances that make each one a unique experience for those involved. Some of the contributing factors that may influence your final settlement amount may include the evidence you have that proves hostility, punitive damages that may be awarded, and certain state laws and regulations.

Reach Out to a Hostile Work Environment Lawyer Today

Working in a hostile work environment can be one of the most difficult and overwhelming situations you have to deal with. Constantly enduring abusive behavior, sexual harassment, and even threats regarding your job can be a serious strain on your mental and emotional health. It’s understandable to want to take action and hold the right people accountable for the pain they are causing you. A hostile work environment lawyer can do just that.

Sexual Harassment Law Firm CA has the resources needed to pursue legal action against your employer for fostering a hostile work environment in Long Beach, CA. We can build a strong case, gather the evidence you need, and make sure your interests are thoroughly protected. Contact us to speak to a valued team member about how we can help your case.