Garrison Law partner Nina Pirrotti was recently quoted in a Law360 article about the increasing harassment of public-facing employees.
The article, entitled “3 Tips To Help Protect Workers From An Ill-Behaved Public,” discusses the increased harassment of public-facing employees and how to combat it as workers are protected “against unlawful harassment by non-employees, such as independent contractors, customers, students, hospital patients and nursing home residents, and clients of the employer” under federal law.
As quoted in the article, Nina highlights that though federal law protects employees from mistreatment by customers, the idea that harassment can come from parties other than coworkers or employers is not yet ingrained, stating, “By 2024, employers have a much better handle on navigating harassment that occurs from within, […] as far as conduct by customers, I think that is an area where employers need to place more emphasis.”
Additionally, not all public-facing employees experience the same level of harassment. For example, workers in industries that serve alcohol could ‘reasonably anticipate a pattern of behaviors that comes along with intoxicated customers.’ Nina shares that, “There are some establishments that are more vulnerable to this happening than others. And there is a duty to protect the worker.”
You can read the full article here.