Harassment

If you feel you have been subjected to harassment in your workplace, please do not ignore it; speak up and report it immediately to your department’s Fair Employment Practices Liaison or you may Contact Us.

Unlawful vs. Awful Harassment

Unlawful harassment is a form of employment discrimination directed towards a person or persons due to their protected status. It consists of severe, serious, pervasive acts or one extremely serious act and it creates a hostile or offensive work environment. Additionally, it will usually interfere with your ability to do your job. The victim of unlawful harassment can be anyone affected by the conduct, it does not have to be just the individual whom the offensive conduct is directed towards.

Awful harassment is not illegal, it may be directed to all persons and it is not based on their protected status. Awful harassment consists of petty, trivial, or annoying acts, and micro-managing or nitpicking, which makes the workplace stressful.

Please review Miami-Dade County’s unlawful harassment policy for further information on the types of conduct that may constitute a violation of the law or policies and our complaint reporting procedures.

It is important to note that employment actions that are based on an employee’s performance or other legitimate reasons are not considered harassment.

For further information you may refer to the following resources:

Sexual Harassment

If you feel you have been sexually harassed in your workplace, please do not ignore it; speak up and report it immediately to your department’s Fair Employment Practices Liaison or you may contact us.

Sexual harassment at work is a serious problem, not only can it hurt the health and well-being of employees, but it can also make them less productive. Additionally, it is not just about sex, but about the harasser being hostile toward the victim or abusing their power over the victim because of the victim’s gender.

There are three types of sexual harassment: Hostile work environment, gender stereotype and tangible employment action:

  • Hostile work environment harassment occurs when you are the target of unwelcome verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature, which interferes with your job performance or creates a hostile, intimidating or offensive work environment.
  • Gender stereotype harassment occurs when someone you work with harasses an individual because they do not conform to the typical male or female stereotype.
  • Tangible employment action sexual harassment occurs when an individual submits to sexual advances in exchange for some employment benefits, such as a promotion, or when an individual refuses to submit to sexual advances and is denied an employment benefit.

For further information you may refer to the following resources: