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In a place as driven and diverse as Brooklyn, workplaces can feel like their own ecosystems — fast-paced restaurants, creative studios, tech offices, hospitals, and classrooms. But no matter the industry or environment, every employee deserves to feel safe, respected, and in control of their workday.
HarassmentHelp.org offers confidential support, explains your rights under city and state law, and guides you through practical ways to protect yourself and your career. Whether the behavior is subtle or overt, in person or online, understanding what counts as sexual harassment at work and knowing your options is the first step toward stopping it.
What Counts as Sexual Harassment in Brooklyn Workplaces?
Sexual harassment at work is about power: who has it, who doesn’t, and how it’s used. It can start with something small, like a lingering look or a “joke” that lands wrong. Over time, those moments add up. If you’re moving through your job on alert, scanning for what might happen next, that’s not in your head. It’s real, and you don’t have to just “deal with it.”
Harassment becomes unlawful when the conduct is unwelcome and tied to your employment — when it affects your pay, schedule, or job opportunities, or when it creates a hostile work environment that makes it difficult to do your job. It can come from a boss, co-worker, client, vendor, or customer, and it can happen anywhere: on the job site, in a meeting, or over email or chat. You don’t need to wait until it becomes extreme; under Brooklyn’s strong workplace protections, a pattern of smaller behaviors can still violate the law.
Below are some of the most common forms of workplace sexual harassment in Brooklyn and what they can look like across industries, from creative and tech fields to healthcare and hospitality.
Verbal Sexual Harassment
Verbal harassment often starts with words that cross a line — comments about your body or clothing, “jokes” that make you tense up, or explicit stories told in groups or meetings. It can also show up in work-related texts, emails, or DMs with sexual content. Even when someone insists they’re “just kidding,” repeated remarks or innuendo can chip away at your sense of safety and create a hostile work environment.
Non‑Verbal Harassment
You don’t have to be touched or spoken to for harassment to occur. Staring, leering, kissing noises, blocking your path, cornering you in a workspace, or displaying sexual images are all forms of non-verbal harassment. These behaviors send a message — that your body is being watched or judged — and that message can make any workplace feel unsafe.
Physical Harassment
Unwanted touching is never part of anyone’s job. That includes “accidental” brushes, back rubs, hugging you without permission, grabbing any part of your body, or any physical contact meant to intimidate or trap you. One serious incident is enough to act; you don’t have to wait for it to happen twice.
Quid Pro Quo and Coerced “Relationships”
Quid pro quo means tying workplace benefits — better shifts, more overtime, cushier assignments, recommendations for promotions, even sponsorship for a visa — to sexual access. Power dynamics blur the idea of consent; when a supervisor, manager, or client pressures you, it’s not a free choice. Coercion can exist even in relationships that appear voluntary on the surface.
Off‑Site, After‑Hours, and Event‑Related Harassment
Your rights don’t stop when the workday ends. Harassment that happens at conferences, client dinners, after-parties, rideshares, or company events can still count as workplace sexual harassment in Brooklyn if it’s tied to your job. Employers have a duty to protect employees in these settings, including when alcohol, travel, or blurred boundaries make it easier for harassment to occur.
Retaliation After Speaking Up
Reporting harassment shouldn’t come with punishment — but in many workplaces, it still does. In Brooklyn, employees who reject advances or report misconduct may suddenly find themselves taken off key projects, reassigned to undesirable shifts, left out of meetings or group chats, or criticized for work that was never a problem before. These changes can be quiet, but they’re meant to send a message: stay silent.
Retaliation, whether subtle or direct, is against the law. Anti-retaliation protections in city and state regulations make it illegal for employers to penalize you for asserting your rights or helping someone else report. If this is happening to you, it’s not “just how things are” — it’s unlawful, and you have options for reporting harassment safely and protecting your career.
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Common Brooklyn Workplaces Where Sexual Harassment Happens
Sexual harassment occurs in every industry. For example, back in 2020 an office assistant at a property management company in Brooklyn reported that a vice president had repeatedly made unwanted romantic and sexual advances during her short time at the company. The New York City Commission on Human Rights found that her account was credible and required the employer to pay nearly $95,000 in emotional distress damages, attorneys’ fees, and civil penalties. The firm was also ordered to strengthen its sexual harassment policies and require training for every employee.
Cases like this show that workplace sexual harassment in Brooklyn isn’t limited to any one industry — and that employees can take action to hold individuals and companies accountable. There are some industries, however, where harassment is reported more often.
Restaurants, Bars, and Nightlife
Service work in Brooklyn often means crowded floors, late nights, and constant customer contact. Line cooks, bartenders, servers, barbacks, bouncers, and hotel staff — especially in neighborhoods like Williamsburg and Bushwick — know how quickly “friendly” can turn uncomfortable. Comments about your body, unnecessary touches, or pressure to tolerate high-tipping regulars aren’t part of the job.
The nightlife scene adds another layer: informal hierarchies and off-the-clock expectations. A manager telling you to “smile” for customers or a coworker brushing against you during a rush because “there’s no space” are not harmless acts. They’re examples of sexual harassment in Brooklyn workplaces, and you have the right to speak up even when the culture around you normalizes it.
Retail and Grocery
Retail and grocery workers keep much of Brooklyn running, from chain stores in Atlantic Terminal to family-owned shops in Bay Ridge. Despite constant surveillance and strict quotas, harassment often slips through unseen. Managers who schedule based on “vibes,” customers making sexual comments in fitting rooms, or supervisors brushing off reports as “drama” all create unsafe environments.
Workers in sneaker stores, cosmetics counters, electronics shops, and boutiques frequently face invasive questions about relationships or appearance. You don’t owe anyone a smile, a story, or your personal boundaries — and you don’t have to accept harassment as part of customer service.
Healthcare
In hospitals, clinics, and long-term care settings — from Brooklyn Methodist to Maimonides — harassment can come from anywhere: coworkers, doctors, patients, or family members. Nurses, techs, CNAs, residents, and home health aides often work in close quarters and under intense pressure. Comments during exams, lingering touches during transfers, or “jokes” in break rooms shouldn’t be dismissed as part of the culture.
Home-care workers who travel between neighborhoods like Bed-Stuy, Flatbush, and Bay Ridge face even greater isolation, with little backup when harassment happens inside private homes. Every healthcare worker deserves a workplace that values their safety as much as their skill.
Education
In schools and universities across Brooklyn — from DOE classrooms and CUNY campuses to private academies and after-school programs — harassment can come from colleagues, administrators, mentors, or even parents. Paraeducators, counselors, adjuncts, and student workers often work under short-term contracts, making it hard to speak out without fearing retaliation.
Supervisors and mentors who “play favorites,” make inappropriate comments, or send boundary-crossing messages are engaging in harassment. Education should model respect, not power plays, and you still have employee rights against sexual harassment no matter your title or term length.
Media and Entertainment
Brooklyn’s creative economy thrives on collaboration — production sets, rehearsal studios, galleries, and post-production houses where work and social life overlap. That overlap can make harassment harder to call out. Assistants, PAs, junior editors, art handlers, and coordinators often rely on reputation and referrals, so confronting misconduct can feel like career risk.
Harassment in this field might look like “jokes” during a late-night shoot in Greenpoint, wrap-party behavior that bleeds into the next day, or a senior creative suggesting that opportunities depend on private meetings or flirtation. Power in these spaces isn’t always formal — but it’s real, and it can be abused. You still have the right to report sexual harassment safely, even when the person crossing the line signs your next contract.
Tech, Startups, and Co‑Working Spaces
Startups and co‑working environments promise flexibility and innovation, but that informality can blur boundaries fast. Founders, early hires, and contractors often socialize where business decisions are made, at pitch nights, accelerator events, or co-working lounges in Dumbo and Downtown Brooklyn.
Harassment can appear as persistent DMs, sexual “banter” in chat channels, or late-night “mentoring” meetings that cross personal lines. When equity, titles, or visas are in play, the pressure to stay quiet intensifies. Brooklyn’s workplace culture may value hustle, but no one should have to trade safety for opportunity.
Construction and Skilled Trades
From Downtown towers to residential rehabs in Crown Heights, work crews share tight spaces where crude comments or physical advances often get brushed off as jokes. Harassment can come from foremen, subcontractors, or building staff rotating between sites. Women and LGBTQ+ workers report pressure to accept jokes, nicknames, or “accidental” brushes in elevators and stairwells.
Brooklyn Sexual Harassment Laws: Know Your Rights
Brooklyn’s workforce spans every industry, from hospitality to healthcare, from classrooms to construction sites. Many workers balance multiple jobs, freelance gigs, or night shifts, which can blur boundaries and make reporting harassment even harder. These realities make strong protections especially important.
Federal law (Title VII) bans sexual harassment and applies to most employers with 15 or more employees, but local laws go further in several ways. The New York State Human Rights Law does not require conduct to be “severe or pervasive” to be unlawful; it looks at whether the behavior goes beyond “petty slights or trivial inconveniences.” New York City law adds additional protections. For example, the Stop Sexual Harassment in NYC Act expanded the statute of limitations for gender‑based harassment under city law to three years and requires annual training for many employers.
Who We Are – HarassmentHelp.org
HarassmentHelp.org is a project of Phillips & Associates PLLC, a law firm focused on workplace sexual harassment and employee rights. Created by award-winning sexual harassment lawyers, we offer confidential support and practical guidance to help employees understand their rights, navigate workplace retaliation, and make informed decisions to protect their careers.
The HarassmentHelp.org RGA Approach
We guide you through RGA — Rights, Guidance, and Action, a safe and supportive process designed to help you protect yourself, preserve your career, and stop harassment.
- Rights – Understand Your Protections
We help you understand what’s acceptable in the workplace, what crosses the line, and how the law protects you from harassment and retaliation. - Guidance – Build Your Case Safely
We offer confidential, nonjudgmental support before any formal action, helping you evaluate the safest and most effective steps for your situation. - Action – Take Steps With Full Support
You never have to face harassment on your own. We can help you create a plan that feels safe and manageable, and connect you with trusted sexual harassment attorneys who can draft complaints, handle communication for you, or work toward a private resolution.
What To Do If You Are Experiencing Sexual Harassment at Work in Brooklyn
If you’re experiencing harassment, here’s how the RGA approach works in real life:
Document What Happened
Write down the incident details as soon as possible—date, time, location, who was involved, and exactly what was said or done. Note any witnesses and save relevant messages, emails, or voicemails. The more detail you record, the stronger your case becomes.
Decide Whether to Confront the Harasser
You are not required to confront the person harassing you. Only consider it if you feel completely safe and supported. In some cases, telling them their behavior is inappropriate and unwelcome may stop it. If you’re unsure, uncomfortable, or fear retaliation, we’ll help you evaluate safer alternatives.
Report the Behavior—Safely and Strategically
Reporting harassment without preparation can be risky. We may be able to help you:
- Prepare a complaint or other communication with clear legal language that documents your rights.
- File a formal complaint with your employer or HR in a way that creates a legal record.
Even if your workplace doesn’t have an HR department, a written complaint to a manager, owner, or supervisor still matters. If harassment comes from a customer or client, your employer is still responsible for addressing it.
Explore a Quiet Resolution Before Filing a Formal Complaint
Sometimes you may want to resolve the situation without going public. Our attorneys can:
- Prepare a confidential summary of events.
- Outline the harm done and your legal protections.
- Communicate directly with your employer respectfully but firmly.
This approach can result in an immediate end to harassment, schedule or department changes, removal of the harasser, or a mediated agreement—without public exposure.
How HarassmentHelp.org Supports You Every Step of the Way
Here’s what working with us looks like from start to finish:
- Confidential Conversation – Share your story in a safe space — no pressure to act right away.
- Evidence Building – We help you keep detailed records of incidents, messages, and witnesses.
- Strategy – Connect you with top sexual harassment attorneys who can help with preparing complaints, filing complaints on your behalf, or pursuing private resolutions.
- Retaliation Guidance – Understand your rights and what steps to take if your employer pushes back.
Get Help From Someone Who Understands What You’re Going Through
Feeling hyper‑alert at work is exhausting. You’re not overreacting to “small things.” Patterns matter, and power dynamics are real. You deserve to feel safe while you earn a living. If you work in Brooklyn, from Downtown offices to late-night kitchens, and you’re facing sexual harassment, know that you’re protected under federal, state, and New York City law.
HarassmentHelp.org connects Brooklyn workers with confidential, practical guidance right here in the city. We can walk you through documentation, discuss safe reporting, and help you understand your rights under city, state, and federal law. You set the pace. When you’re ready, we’re here to help you move forward.
