Happy Valentine’s Day! While this holiday of (ahem) love may bring back fond memories of grade-school card and candy swapping, it’s important to remember that bringing romance into the workplace – even (or maybe especially) on Valentine’s Day – presents risks, most notably of a sexual harassment/hostile work environment lawsuit. Consider, for example, the case of Pugni…
Read More Valentine’s Day and the WorkplaceAccording to one source, four out of 10 employees have dated someone at work. This, according to that article, “makes perfect sense [because] [t]here are more singles in the workforce than ever before, spending more than half their waking hours on the job[ and] [w]ith co-workers there’s a familiarity and commonality, not to mention proximity and…
Read More Love Can Get You Fired: Dating is Not a “Recreational Activity” Within the Meaning of New York’s “Lawful Activities” LawHappy Valentine’s Day! In keeping with what I hope will be a continued practice of keying blog posts to holidays, I present to you the case of Ashok v. Barnhart, 289 F. Supp. 2d 305 (EDNY 2003). In Ashok, plaintiff claimed that she was subjected to retaliation and a hostile work environment based on national…
Read More Allegedly “Humiliating” Valentine’s Day Poster Did Not Support Hostile Work Environment Claim