Use of the “N” Word One Time – Is that Harassment?

"I'll be the judge of that!"

Could the use of a racial slur one time by a coworker be enough to constitute actionable harassment? In this week’s Job Judge, Karen Michael discusses a case out of California where an employee was subjected to the “N” word by a coworker one time in 2015. Nine years later the case is headed to trial, and the jury will decide whether the employee was subjected to a hostile work environment as a matter of law and whether Human Resources retaliated against her in their actions of addressing the employee’s claims.

Karen also discusses in her “Ask the Job Judge” segment, a case involving a 56-year-old man who engaged in alleged sexual behaviors towards a younger female coworker after hours and the employee is questioning whether to report his behavior. Karen gives advice on how to address it. The Job Judge Podcast is a podcast for anyone who works. This is not legal advice! Engaging and informative, it’s a must-listen/watch for any manager, business owner, HR professional, or anyone who works. Relying on three decades of experience as an employment law attorney and HR Executive, Karen Michael uses real case studies in the news and navigates through the legal landmines and workplace dysfunction that we know is probably happening right now in your organization.