“I Have Been Sexually Harassed at Workplace”. What Next?

Being a respected employee of an organization, you have certain rights that are protected under the Civil Rights Act of 1964. And being said so, if you become a victim of sexual harassment at the workplace, you should be well-educated to understand enough on what needs to be done next and how to protect your rights. In any case, you are not supposed to stay silent or go MIA as there are many resources available through which you can seek help and pursue a sexual harassment claim against the employer and get compensation for the mental and physical damages that you have suffered.

In such sensitive matters, sexual harassment in the workplace lawyer can always guide you through the entire process as they know the law and all the procedures related to it. It is of utmost importance that you make rational decisions in such times because any wrong step would make everything more difficult for you. Therefore, if you have been a victim of sexual harassment, here is a quick checklist that you should have so that you can report the incident in the right manner.

Firstly, you need to understand what is considered sexual harassment:

•    Sexual favors

•    Unwanted sexual advances or romantic gestures

•    Demand for sexual favors in return for some work or “Quid pro quo” requests

•    Insulting or belittling comments or remarks on the sex of certain employees

Now that you understand what comes under sexual harassment, it is time to determine how the court will consider that whatever happened with you was purely an act of sexual harassment. And for that here is a checklist that you need to follow.

•    How the entire incident took place

•    How many people were involved in the act

•    How were the comments? Whether they were offensive or hostile

•    Was sexual harassment physical, verbal, or a mix of both

•    What position does the harasser hold professionally

Once you determine the abovementioned factors, follow the employer’s policy of sexual harassment. You will be able to find the procedure in the policy on how you can file a sexual harassment complaint. If there is no such policy, you can directly talk to the Human Resources Department and narrate the entire incident.

Consult sexual harassment in the workplace lawyer

When it comes to cases such as sexual harassment, you need to file a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). The complaint needs to be detailed and full of facts with attached copies of required evidence and necessary documents. The EEOC will look into the matter and suggest whether you need to file a lawsuit for sexual harassment or not. And that is why hiring sexual harassment in the workplace lawyer should be at the top of your checklist because only a lawyer will be able to proceed ahead with the claim and help you recover all the damages. Sexual harassment in the workplace lawyer is familiar with all the state and local laws and knows what all needs to be done to ensure that your case is guided towards success.