A Look at New Hampshire Sexual Harassment Law in the Workplace

Phil Pettis earned his law degree from the University of New Hampshire School of Law before moving onto his career as an attorney. For the last 18 years, Phil Pettis has worked at Boynton Waldron law firm as partner and attorney. One of his areas of expertise is sexual harassment law.

New Hampshire, just like every other state, has its own laws regarding sexual harassment in the workplace that must be followed. The New Hampshire policy on sexual harassment states that any person is entitled to work in a workplace that is free from sexual harassment and discrimination of any kind. They define sexual harassment as any unwanted sexual advance, a request for a sexual favor, or any other physical or verbal act that could be considered sexual in nature.

The law also states that a person’s employment cannot be affected if they bring sexual harassment complaints to human resources, or if they assist another employee in doing so. These laws look to protect the individual filing the complaint, as retaliation can be an issue in some cases.

Clipper Foundation Grants Fill Gaps in Governmental Funding

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A partner with the Portsmouth, New Hampshire, firm of Boynton, Waldron, Doleac, Woodman & Scott since 2009, Phil Pettis focuses on employment and business law. An involved member of his community, Phil Pettis serves as vice president of the board of directors of the Clipper Foundation.

The Clipper Foundation awards grants for innovative teaching programs not included in the city budget. Some of the initiatives approved for 2019-2020 include:

- Launch! Kitchen. Meeting before and after school, Launch! Kitchen shows at-risk students and students from families with low incomes how to prepare nutritionally sound meals. The program is especially popular on Fridays, when children can take their cooking home.

- Sensory pathway. Three elementary school teachers joined forces to convert a corridor into a “sensory pathway” that helps learners who struggle with focusing in class.

- K-12 bookmobile. Serving some 300 students, town and school librarians will donate their time to circulate reading materials and exchange books at community centers.

- Broadcasting lab. This grant will set up a middle school multimedia center where learners can prepare their own news shows and develop writing, graphic design, and production skills.