Tenn. Code Ann. § 50-1-502: Part definitions

As used in this part: (1) "Abusive conduct" means acts or omissions that would cause a reasonable person, based on the severity, nature, and frequency of the conduct, to believe that an employee was subject to an abusive work environment, such as: (A) Repeated verbal abuse in the workplace, including derogatory remarks, insults, and epithets; (B) Verbal, nonverbal, or physical conduct of a threatening, intimidating, or humiliating nature in the workplace; or (C) The sabotage or undermining of an employee's work performance in the workplace; (2) "Agency" means any department, commission, board, office or other agency of the executive, legislative or judicial branch of state government; (3) "Employee" means an employee of any county, metropolitan government, municipality, or other political subdivision of this state; (4) "Employer" means a private employer and a state or local governmental entity; (5) "Harassment" means two (2) or more instances of contact serving no legitimate purpose directed at an employee, in connection with that person's status as an employee, that a reasonable person would consider alarming, threatening, intimidating, abusive, or emotionally distressing and that does or reasonably could interfere with the performance of the employee's duties; and (6) "Instance of contact" means a direct communication or physical touching. Amended by 2019 Tenn. Acts, ch. 331,s 1, eff. 5/10/2019. Amended by 2019 Tenn. Acts, ch. 214,s 1, eff. 4/23/2019. Added by 2014 Tenn. Acts, ch. 997,s 1, eff. 5/22/2014.

As used in this part:

(1) "Abusive conduct" means acts or omissions that would cause a reasonable person, based on the severity, nature, and frequency of the conduct, to believe that an employee was subject to an abusive work environment, such as: (A) Repeated verbal abuse in the workplace, including derogatory remarks, insults, and epithets; (B) Verbal, nonverbal, or physical conduct of a threatening, intimidating, or humiliating nature in the workplace; or (C) The sabotage or undermining of an employee's work performance in the workplace;

(A) Repeated verbal abuse in the workplace, including derogatory remarks, insults, and epithets;

(B) Verbal, nonverbal, or physical conduct of a threatening, intimidating, or humiliating nature in the workplace; or

(C) The sabotage or undermining of an employee's work performance in the workplace;

(2) "Agency" means any department, commission, board, office or other agency of the executive, legislative or judicial branch of state government;

(3) "Employee" means an employee of any county, metropolitan government, municipality, or other political subdivision of this state;

(4) "Employer" means a private employer and a state or local governmental entity;

(5) "Harassment" means two (2) or more instances of contact serving no legitimate purpose directed at an employee, in connection with that person's status as an employee, that a reasonable person would consider alarming, threatening, intimidating, abusive, or emotionally distressing and that does or reasonably could interfere with the performance of the employee's duties; and

(6) "Instance of contact" means a direct communication or physical touching.