You Do Not Need to Talerate Sexual Harassment in the Workplace. Contact Our Attorneys Today
Have you ever experienced sexual advances that were very uncomfortable at your workplace? According to the law, this is sexual harassment, creating a very hostile and intimidating working environment. Ideally, it is essential to gain some knowledge on how to protect yourself against workplace sexual harassment. In many cases, women get harassed by men, but men are also at risk of being harassed by women or other men. Primarily, sexual harassment includes instances like sexual assault and sexual jokes that belittle an individual, for example.
Luckily, workers are protected against workplace sexual harassment by federal and government laws, making sexual harassment forbidden. Additionally, there are more strict employment laws owned by many states, but for you to protect yourself when being harassed, there are certain things that you ought to do.
Tell The Sexual Harasser To Stop
First, you can approach the person who is sexually harassing you and tell them to stop. Although it is difficult, this confrontation happens to be the most effective in curbing harassment, mostly if the harasser hasn’t gone too far with their actions.
Confronting a sexual harasser will directly inform them that their behavior is unbecoming, leading to legal repercussions of sexual harassment. However, if you are unwilling to engage them, or they don’t take your confrontation seriously, do it in writing, and make a copy of the same for yourself as it can get used as a piece of evidence in court.
Make a Complaint To The Supervisor
Secondly, you can forward your complaint to the supervisors if the harassment does not stop. You can also do this if you feel that the harassment might worsen if you confront the harasser. This procedure is formal, and most companies have included it in their employee protection policy.
Ideally, it is advisable to follow this policy if you feel like you are getting harassed sexually. However, if there is no such policy in your workplace, consult on making a complaint on sexual harassment from the supervisor or the human resource department. If you don’t find help from this personnel, forward the issue to the companies’ managers and the directors, ensuring that you follow all the protocols. Ensure all your complaints get documented for future reference.
Many victims find this step difficult, and they make the massive mistake of skipping it, heading directly to the Los Angeles workplace harassment attorney. There, you will find a sexual harassment lawyer in Los Angeles. Still, according to the Supreme Court, you may not have a chance to hold your company liable if you didn’t give the company a chance to stop the harassment by making them aware through the employers’ complaint procedures. Thus, you should ensure that you complain within the company first before heading to the Los Angeles attorney for harassment on the job. Ensure that your company is aware by approaching your supervisor, the human resource department, or the executives. Make use of the office sexual assault lawyer as well.
Document Your Claims
Essentially, the evidence is crucial. Therefore, it is necessary to document all your sexual harassment claims and actions. If you forward your complaint to the government agency or the Los Angeles sexual harassment lawyer, you will have to prove what was happening to you. You will also have to provide any evidence of the actions you took to stop the harassment. Besides, the evidence is also crucial to the employment attorney in Los Angeles representing the company.
Ensure your harassment evidence is in detail as much as possible. If the harassment was through a text message or a letter via email, save it. If you felt unwelcomed through items posted at the notice board, put them down, and keep them with you. These items might be a joke, photos, or even offensive words used against you. Moreover, if you are not able to put them down, take a picture of them. Importantly, please note the dates when the harassment took place and whether you received any unpleasant reaction when you took them down.
Besides, note down the harassment incidents in detail.
Be sure to include all the people involved by their names, what exactly they did, how it happened, when, and where it happened. In case there are witnesses, mention them in your journal. Again, ensure you state precisely what was done or said to you and how it affected your mental health or work efficiency. The journal should be personal, and you should keep it in a safe place.
Most importantly, ensure you are in hold of copies of evaluations of your work performance. If not, you may have to ask for these copies, especially your entire personnel documents, before making an external complaint about a coworker harasser. It is necessary in case your employer decided to be against you in court for complaining. Your records can be crucial evidence, especially if your performance evaluations are positive.
Make a Complaint To The State Agency
In cases where the employer ignores your cries and you end up not getting help, you can visit a government agency or a Los Angeles harassment complaint attorney. This procedure should get done before filing a lawsuit. However, if the results do not satisfy you at this stage, you can proceed under the Los Angeles employment practices statute to file a lawsuit.
File a Lawsuit
Although this is rare, the state agency or the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission may decide to prosecute this case on your behalf. That is why it is essential to complain to the state agency. In most cases, the state agency will give you a specific document that will allow you to proceed to the law courts represented by an LA sexual harassment lawyer.
Lastly, ensure you are conversant with the time limits for filing a complaint with the state agencies and filing a lawsuit. Remember, you have rights as an employee, and you must always have protection from any harassment.