It is unlawful in Massachusetts for your boss to sexually harass you. Generally, there are two types of sexual harassment – hostile work environment sexual harassment and quid pro quo sexual harassment. Your employer is likely liable if your boss is a manager or a person with supervisory authority that sexually harasses you, regardless of whether or not they know about it.
1. What is Hostile Work Environment Sexual Harassment?
Hostile work environment sexual harassment involves unwelcome verbal or physical conduct that interferes with your employment by creating an intimidating, hostile, or sexually offensive work environment.
This may involve your boss subjecting you to sexual touching, inappropriate jokes, gossip or comments, requests for sex, leering, whistling or sexual gestures, suggestive pictures, emails or objects and other similar conduct.
2. What is Quid Pro Quo Sexual Harassment?
Quid pro quo sexual harassment involves unwelcome sexual requests or advances, where you reject such requests and advances and your employment is adversely affected. It can also occur where you submitted to such unwelcome sexual requests or advances out of fear of an adverse employment action.
For example, this may occur if your boss terminates your employment after you turned them down for a date.
3. Contact The Maura Greene Law Group
Before you take any action, speak with an experienced employment law attorney. The attorneys at the Maura Greene Law Group can help identify and explain your rights and options.
Contact an attorney before you take any action so that you do not negatively impact your potential claims or damages.
Claims before the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination generally have a very short 300-day statute of limitation. If you are concerned that your boss is sexually harassing you, speak with an attorney as soon as possible to help ensure you timely understand your rights and options.
Contact the Maura Greene Law Group if you are being sexually harassed. We can help you understand your rights and options.
Contact us at 617-936-1580 or email us at mglgstaff@mauragreenelaw.com
The Not-So-Fine Print:
We see patterns in our practice, like the ones described above. However, every case has its own unique facts. Before you take any action, you should contact an employment lawyer and get advice on your own situation. We can’t provide legal advice here and this isn’t intended as legal advice. It is best, if possible, to establish a relationship with an attorney before a workplace issue turns into a crisis. Employees who have received a verbal or written warning or performance improvement plan should contact counsel now. Ditto for employees who are seeing their doctor for workplace-related stress or anxiety.