Pennsylvania Employment Law – Sexual Harassment

No matter the industry, sexual harassment remains a major issue for employees across Pennsylvania including Philadelphia. Employees who report sexual harassment to a supervisor or to an HR department may be retaliated against directly or the report may be ignored or may not be taken seriously.

Sexual harassment at work is barred under the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (federal law) and the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act. Under both laws, Pennsylvania employers are prohibited from firing, demoting, harassing or otherwise retaliating against an employee due to complaints of sexual harassment by co-workers or supervisors.

It’s important to note that the federal law and Pennsylvania law apply to employers of certain sizes. Federal law applies to employers who employ at least 15 employees, and the PA law applies to employers who employ at least 4 employees.

In this employment law article, our Philadelphia employment lawyers discuss the two most common, yet illegal, ways an employer deals with reports of sexual harassment: retaliation and hostile work environment.

Related Sexual Harassment Case Result: $900,000 Sexual Harassment Settlement by Koller Law Firm. The largest sexual harassment against the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Call our employment law firm for a FREE, NO OBLIGATION consultation. We represent mistreated employees in sexual harassment, wrongful termination, and employment discrimination cases throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey. (215) 545-8917

Retaliation After Reporting Sexual Harassment

An employee in Philadelphia is sexually harassed by a manager. Immediately after the employee reports the conduct to the manager’s supervisor, the employee’s number of hours is reduced and a month later, the employee is terminated.

Here, the timeline shows that that employer retaliated against the employee due to the report of sexual harassment by a manager.

Hostile Work Environment

An employee in Allentown reports sexual harassment by a co-worker. The employer takes no action whatsoever and ignores the reports. The employee continues to be sexually harassed, and the conduct escalates. The employee quits due to the work environment.

Here, the employer failed to take the reports of sexual harassment seriously and in doing so, allowed the conduct to continue and escalate. This is a classic example of a hostile work environment.

Time Deadlines for Sexual Harassment Employment Law Claims in Pennsylvania

Federal and state laws place limits on the time a Pennsylvania employee has to file their employment law claim. Depending on the type of claim, the time deadlines may be 180 days or 300 days. Failure to file a claim within the applicable deadlines with the EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) and/or the PHRC (PA Human Resources Commission) will result in denial of the claim. It’s critical to speak to an employment lawyer as soon as possible.