Vital Steps To Take When Dealing With Sexual Harassment At Work

Dealing with sexual harassment in the workplace can be a debilitating situation. You may feel intimidated or that your job is under threat. The fear of people finding out about your situation may prevent you from reporting the matter. Ultimately this fear may cause you to feel helpless and drive you to quit your job.

However, like all employees, you are protected by the California employment law, which dictates that sexual harassment in the workplace is prohibited and must be persecuted to the fullest extent. 

So, if you are enduring sexual harassment at work, here’s what you need to do.

Tell Your Harasser To STOP!

First, you need to tell your harasser to stop immediately; be sure to make it clear that you will not tolerate the behavior. Not vocalizing your feelings regarding the situation may result in your harasser assuming that you accept the treatment. 

It is vital to make it as clear as possible to your perpetrator that you fully intend on reporting the matter. This declaration may be seen as plausible action or steps taken to remedy the situation before seeking administrative remedial action from your employer.

Make A Record Of All Interactions

Make sure you record all sexual and non-professional advances made by your harasser. Record the time, date, inappropriate behavior or actions, and the name of the harasser for every incident. These records will help your lawyer build a strong case. Employment lawyers should only be brought in when other administrative measures have failed to resolve the matter.

Report The Situation To HR

Before pursuing legal counsel or representation for the case, following company policy and seeking administrative remedial actions is recommended. Recording every sexual harassment incident that transpires will, in return, strengthen your case with the company’s human resources (HR) department as well as a judge, should your case go to court. 

The HR department will conduct a thorough investigation into the matter, and you must prove beyond reasonable doubt that your employee rights have been violated. Beyond that, an external legal counsel or representative should be brought in to evaluate the matter objectively.

Report The Ordeal To Your Worker’s Union

Should your claim with HR not be successful, the next step is to approach your worker’s union. Unions exist to ensure that employee rights are protected at all times. An association may assist by hiring an employment lawyer to represent you in court. 

Consider Resignation

Ultimately, whether you are served justice or not, it is essential to consider the option of quitting your job. Resignation may be the best option because seeing and interacting with your harasser every day may be traumatizing and put you in a position where you could potentially be re-victimized.

Returning to work after sexual harassment is understandably daunting. So, you will need to make a careful decision for the future of your career while prioritizing your mental and emotional wellbeing. 

Sexual harassment in the workplace could leave you in a low and dark place. Therefore it is crucial to note that the first response to this victimization is immediately speaking up. Because there are laws against sexual harassment, this offense conflicts with workplace regulations and state laws.