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We hear of cases where employers, bosses, and co-workers sexually harassed employees and where companies were held accountable because they failed to take action to protect workers. But what happens when the sexual harassment comes from a client or customer? What rights does a worker have? And what responsibility do employers have to protect employees from customer or client-based sexual harassment?

A recent New Jersey court awarded a bank employee $2.4 million dollars for the bank’s failure to put a stop to a customer known to act strangely around employees. The employee claimed that the customer sexually assaulted her, leading her to suffer from anxiety and panic attacks. The jury made clear in the case that employers, in certain circumstances, have responsibilities when it comes to protecting workers from sexual harassment and inappropriate touching. In the case with the bank customer accused of sexual harassment and assault, the employee claims that the customer’s accounts were not closed despite his repeated and pervasive poor behavior; the customer was considered a “profitable” client. The court case shows that employers may have a responsibility to protect their workers from sexual harassment—even if the harassment stems from a client or customer.

Moore & Associates is a sexual harassment law firm in Houston, Texas that works with employees that have suffered sexual harassment on the job. What is sexual harassment? According to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, sexual harassment includes unwanted sexual advances, repeated requests for sexual favors, sexually suggestive talk, or physical touch that is sexual in nature.

Employers have a legal responsibility to keep employees safe from sexual harassment, whether the perpetrator is a co-worker, manager, boss, customer, client, or another party the employee interacts with. If a person is facing sexual harassment on the job, the employer has a responsibility to take steps to address it, which can include things like assigning a server to another table or asking a customer to leave if he or she is sexually harassing employees. It comes down to the power the manager had to protect the employee in the situation. Employers that have control over a workplace environment, may have the responsibility to put a stop to sexual harassment when it occurs.

Employees may not always be aware of their rights. They may think that they can seek assistance if a co-worker is harassing them, but that they may not have recourse if they are being harassed by a customer. This is not true. Any sexual harassment that occurs while you are working should be reported. If you are being sexually harassed by a customer, you may have the right to ask your employer for help to stop the situation, and may have the right to fight back if you have had to leave your job or have lost income as a result of sexual harassment from a client or customer. Moore & Associates is a sexual harassment law firm in Houston, Texas that fights for workers’ rights and we may be able to fight for you.

Steps You Can Take If a Customer or Client Sexually Harasses You or Makes You Feel Uncomfortable

If a customer or client sexually harasses you or makes you feel uncomfortable due to pervasive comments of a sexual nature, the first step you can take is to report the situation to your employer or manager. The sooner you report the situation to your employer, the sooner something can be done about it. An employer may be required to take steps to address the situation, either by confronting the customer directly about the situation, by changing your position so you don’t have to interact with the client or customer directly, or by asking the customer or client to leave. Servers and restaurant workers are particularly at risk of facing sexual advances or sexual harassment from customers. According to Eater, 37 percent of sexual harassment incident claims happen in restaurants. These are just the statistics regarding all sexual harassment claims. 78% of restaurant workers report having faced harassment.

You don’t have to suffer in silence or accept harassment from a client. You have the right to talk to your employer and to report the incident. You should not have to feel uncomfortable on the job because of a customer or client’s inappropriate behavior. Have questions about your rights? Reach out to Moore & Associates, a sexual harassment law firm in Houston, Texas today. Our attorneys may be able to help you.

Seek Justice Today

Sexual harassment on the job can leave victims suffering from trauma. Some individuals end up quitting their jobs, passing up important career opportunities, and some even find their careers shattered because of the actions of a co-worker, boss, or manager. Client or customer sexual harassment or assault can be just as devastating. The sexual harassment lawyers at Moore & Associates in Houston, Texas may be able to assist you with your claim. Contact us today, or connect with USAttorneys.com to get in touch with the sexual harassment lawyers at Moore & Associates.

Recent changes to the U.S. Department of Labor’s overtime rules means that more workers are eligible to receive overtime pay. According to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division, changes to the overtime rules will result in 1.3 million more American workers eligible to receive overtime pay. The new rule changes the earnings thresholds that employers must pay their workers in order to consider them exempt from receiving overtime pay. The major changes reported by the U.S. Department of Labor include:

• Changes in standard salary required to exempt a worker from receiving overtime pay. Workers must now be paid at least $684 per week ($35,568 per year) in order to be exempt from receiving overtime pay. This reflects an increase in the minimum salary employers must pay their workers.
• In order for an employee to be considered a highly-compensated employee, they must make at least $107,432 per year. However, employers are permitted to count bonuses toward at least 10% of a person’s counted salary.

Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, workers who are not exempt from overtime pay must be paid time and a half for every hour they work over a 40-hour workweek. There are certain important exemptions to this rule. If you work over 40 hours a week and don’t receive overtime pay, should you have received time and a half for your overtime work? The new changes apply beginning on January 1, 2020. So, starting this year, some workers who were previously not entitled to overtime pay will now be entitled to receive overtime for the extra hours they work each week above a 40 hour workweek.

Sometimes employers might not pay workers overtime for a number of reasons. They may misclassify some workers as exempt. Or, they may misclassify employees. If you have not been paid for overtime and have questions about whether you might be entitled to time and a half, Moore & Associates is an employment law firm in Houston, Texas that may be able to assist you. Our firm can review your job description, job title, and review the hours you worked to determine whether you have a case. If you have a case, you may have the right to seek pay for the overtime you worked.

More Administrative, Executive, Computer, and Outside Sales Salary Employees May Be Entitled to Overtime Pay

Certain workers are exempt from receiving overtime pay in certain circumstances. For example, certain administrative, executive, computer, and outside sales employees who receive a salary are, in some cases, exempt from overtime pay. Under the new rule, however, the salary cutoff for some workers has changed. For example, executive, administrative, professional, computer, and outside sales employees who are paid on a salary basis and who have certain specific duties associated with their job titles may be exempt from overtime pay. Now, under the new rule, these workers, must be paid more in order to be considered exempt. Formerly, these workers had to be paid at least $455 per week. Now, these workers must be paid at least $684 per week to be considered exempt. If you make less than $684 per week, and work more than 40 hours per week, you may see an increase in your pay for the overtime you work.

Have you not been receiving overtime? Are you an administrative, professional, computer or outside sales employee making a salary less than $35,568 per year? If you are making less than this amount and are working in these fields, and have not been paid overtime after January 1, 2020, you may have the right to seek backpay for these overtime hours worked. Think you might be owed overtime? Is your employer claiming you are exempt, but you believe you are not exempt? The laws regarding exemption can be technical. Consider reaching out to Moore & Associates, an employment law firm in Houston, Texas today. Our attorney can evaluate your situation and help you understand your rights.

Highly-Compensated Workers May Be Entitled to Receive Overtime Pay

Some highly-compensated workers were considered exempt from overtime pay because of their salaries. Now, those salary exemption requirements have been increased. In order to be considered a highly-compensated worker, you must be earning at least $107,432 per year. Your employer may be able to count a certain percentage of your yearly bonus to this salary amount. This means that if you are making less than this amount, you may be entitled to seek time and a half for overtime you’ve worked.

Have questions about your rights for overtime pay? Need help seeking backpay from your employer? The employment lawyers at Moore & Associates in Houston, Texas may be able to help you. Contact our attorney today or reach out to USAttorneys.com to get connected to one of our employment lawyers today.

HOUSTON, Texas. If you have worked in the oil and gas industry, chances are that you have put in long hours on the job and have worked in dangerous conditions. While oil and gas workers can often receive high paychecks for working long hours, these workers may not always be aware that they could be getting cheated out of thousands of dollars, tens of thousands of dollars, and in some rare cases, even hundreds of thousands of dollars of wages. [Read more…] about How Oil and Gas Workers are Cheated of Wages

HOUSTON, Texas. Losing any job, getting laid off, or getting fired can be incredibly stressful. One of the things that some workers might consider is whether they can sue for wrongful termination. However, in most cases, workers are hired at will, which means they can be fired at will, for any reason, or for no reason. However, if you can prove that you were fired as an act of retaliation or due to discrimination, you may be able to pursue a wrongful termination case. There may be cases also in which a company may violate its own contracts and terms of employment. In this case, individuals may also have the right to sue for wrongful termination. In most cases, workers won’t be entitled to sue for wrongful termination. Companies often hire workers at will and human resources departments often take steps to ensure that termination takes place in a manner that is in accordance with contractual obligations and employee rights. However, there are certainly some cases where workers have been able to successfully pursue wrongful termination cases. [Read more…] about Understanding Wrongful Termination

HOUSTON, Texas. Oilfield workers can bring in six-figure salaries in Texas. For many of these workers, a job on the oilfield is a great gig. Some oilfield workers are younger or don’t have higher education, and the oilfield opens the door to a middle class and upper middle class lifestyle for their families. However, some high-earning oilfield workers may not always be receiving the full pay that they deserve. The oilfield industry has come under scrutiny in recent months and years for failing to pay workers overtime, failing to properly classify workers, and failing to provide workers with the benefits they deserve. According to the Houston Chronicle, younger workers can make more than six figures a year working 90 plus hour workweeks. However, these workers may not realize that they may be entitled to receive time-and-a-half pay for every hour of work they put in beyond a 40-hour workweek. Misclassification of workers as exempt for overtime or misclassification of workers as independent contractors is part of the problem. [Read more…] about Could You Be Entitled to Receive a Six-Figure Oilfield Settlement?