Harassment in the Workplace: Building a Respectful Culture

Course description

Presented by Jill O'Brien, an employment attorney with 35+ years of practice experience, this course delivers a comprehensive grounding in workplace harassment and discrimination law as it applies to Illinois employers, including the specific protections added under Chicago's Human Rights Ordinance. O'Brien draws on decades of litigation experience to illuminate what actually goes wrong in firms, why well-intentioned supervisors get named in lawsuits, and what practical steps prevent claims from arising in the first place. Topics include employer and individual supervisor liability, complaint procedure requirements, remedies available to victims, protected categories under federal, state, and Chicago law, the distinction between harassment and discrimination, and the legal definition of unlawful harassment with applied hypotheticals drawn from real workplace situations.

Learning Objectives

• Explain the business case for maintaining a harassment-free workplace, including the reputational, financial, and operational costs of violations

• Describe employer and individual supervisor liability under harassment and discrimination law, including the conditions under which strict liability applies

• Identify the elements of an effective internal complaint procedure, including publication requirements, alternate contacts, and anti-retaliation assurances

• Distinguish between unlawful harassment and unlawful discrimination, and identify the legally protected categories that trigger each

• Define the four elements required to establish unlawful harassment, including the protected category standard, the reasonable person standard, the unwelcome standard, and the severe or repeated requirement

• Recognize conduct that may constitute sexual harassment, including quid pro quo and hostile environment harassment

• Apply practical guidelines for supervisors to prevent, identify, investigate, and document harassment and discrimination concerns before they escalate into claims