Common Forms of Harassment
Sexual harassment isn’t limited to physical contact. California law protects employees from a wide range of behaviors that create an intimidating, offensive, or hostile workplace.
- Unwanted touching or physical contact
- Sexual comments, jokes, or innuendos
- Repeated requests for dates
- Sending explicit texts, emails, or images
- Inappropriate questions about your sex life
- Blocking your path or invading personal space
- Comments about your body or appearance
- Spreading sexual rumors
- Quid pro quo demands tied to your job
- Displaying pornographic or sexual imagery
- Catcalling, whistling, or leering
- Blocking your path or invading personal space
Important: Harassment doesn’t have to come from a supervisor to be illegal. Coworkers, clients, customers, and vendors can all create a hostile work environment, and your employer is responsible for stopping it once they know it’s happening.
Your Rights Under California Law
California has some of the strongest workplace harassment protections in the country. The Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) applies to employers with as few as five employees and gives workers powerful tools to hold them accountable.
- FEHA protects against harassment based on sex, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, and pregnancy
- Title VII of the Civil Rights Act adds federal protections for employers with 15 or more employees
- California law prohibits retaliation against employees who report harassment or participate in an investigation
You may be entitled to lost wages, emotional distress damages, attorney’s fees, and in some cases punitive damages
Beyond these statutes, California courts have consistently sided with employees in workplace harassment cases, making the state one of the most protective jurisdictions in the country for workers who’ve experienced misconduct on the job.
