Third-party sexual harassment occurs when someone outside your workplace, like a customer, client, or vendor, sexually harasses you. Even though the offender is not a direct co-worker or supervisor, your employer is still responsible for providing a safe work environment and for addressing harassment that takes place on your employer’s premises or during business interactions.
You can sue your employer if a third party sexually harasses you. Employers are legally obligated to prevent and deal with harassment from anyone, including from parties outside their company. If your employer fails to act after you report the harassment, they could be liable for failing to provide a harassment-free workplace.
To take legal action, you must demonstrate that your employer:
- Should have known about the harassment, or knew about it.
- Did not take appropriate steps to stop it.
- Allowed the harassment to continue and created a hostile or unsafe environment.
If your employer fails to address the issue, you can formally file a complaint with an organization, including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Alternatively, you can go to court and seek damages. If you have been harassed, you should document your experience and any communications with your employer to help your case.
