What To Do If You Are Being Sexually Harassed At Work

What Is Sexual Harassment in the Workplace?

There are two sorts of workplace sexual harassment.

The first kind of sexual harassment is known as "hostile work environment" harassment.

Sexual harassment in a hostile work environment can take many different forms, including:

Requests for dates that are unwanted, repeatedly offensive, or sexually suggestive

solicitations for sexual favors, provocative acts, sexual jokes or pranks, unpleasant contact, frightening body language, and distributing obscene content.

It must happen frequently enough to interfere with your capacity to perform your job duties.

Or, if the level of harassment is so severe that it interferes with your capacity to do your job successfully, it might just occur once.

You must demonstrate that your employer is accountable for the harassment, either directly or indirectly, in order to hold them accountable.

You must demonstrate that your workplace was accountable for tolerating a coworker's or a regular customer's insulting remarks, for instance.

If your employer treats you unfairly due to your gender identification, that is also hostile workplace harassment.

This discrimination may take place during the employment process, during the hours you work, during your pay, during the lack of promotions, during the work schedules, during the work assignments, during vacation or sick leave benefits, and during termination.

The second sort of sexual harassment at work is referred to as "quid pro quo" harassment.

A manager who demands sexual interaction from you in exchange for job rewards or promotions is engaging in quid pro quo harassment.

It can still be considered sexual harassment even if you didn't object.

Your sexual contact may have constituted an illegal form of harassment if you felt pushed to engage in it out of concern that you would lose your job or face discipline at work.

How to Respond If You Experience Sexual Harassment at Work

Maintain Records Regarding Sexual Harassment

You must keep thorough records of the instances in which you feel harassed and the different sorts of harassment you have encountered if you choose to make a sexual harassment claim.

Sexual harassment is occasionally viewed as a case of he said/she said.

However, you will have a much stronger case if you have meticulously recorded numerous instances of harassment along with the dates, time of day, witnesses, and how the episodes made them feel.

Every instance of harassment should be noted, along with the identities of those present.

Keep these off of your work computer in case you ever lose access.

Documenting every instance of harassment is the greatest approach to prove that behavior was regular or serious down the line, should you need to.

Analyze the Climate at Your Company

Before making an internal complaint, sexual harassment victims should approach the situation carefully.

Because it relies on the culture of the company and how seriously managers and supervisors take it, there is no surefire way to report harassment.

Find out if this kind of behavior is typical at your place of employment.

Consider whether your managers or the personnel in human resources would be angry about what has happened.

Will your complaint be thoroughly investigated? Do they genuinely abide by the sexual harassment policy?

You might feel confident proceeding with making a report based on your responses to these queries.

However, some victims frequently feel better using a different reporting method or leaving the workplace completely to report the harassment.

Demand that the harasser stop

Either vocally or in writing, this is possible.

It is preferable to request copies in writing so that you have them for future proof.

Ask a dependable coworker to accompany you if you wish to do it verbally so they may act as witnesses.

Keep thorough notes about your interactions and experiences even if you don't feel comfortable speaking with or writing to the harasser.

Once more, save your notes in a secure location away from the office, such as a diary, your personal phone, or an email account.

Inform Management Of The Sexual Harassment

Additionally, you must inform a decision-maker about the harassment.

Learn and abide by whatever complaint procedures your employer may have regarding sexual harassment in the workplace.

Get a reliable witness to accompany you when you file your complaint and submit it in writing.

You will need to provide evidence of the date and time the complaint was made as well as that your employer really got it.

For your records, keep a copy of your complaint.

The majority of the time, an employer must be aware that harassment is taking on and have the opportunity to address the issue before they may be held accountable under discrimination laws.

Submit a grievance to a government agency

You can submit a legal complaint with a government agency if you've experienced harassment at work and told your employer about it, but they did nothing about it or took adverse action against you.

The anti-discrimination or civil rights agency in your state can receive complaints of discrimination (sometimes referred to as FEPA, or Fair Employment Practices Agency).

Additionally, they may be submitted to a federal government organization, such as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).