According to a 2015 Cosmopolitan survey, one in three women says they have experienced sexual harassment at work. 38% of respondents claimed that their employer was the one who harassed them. However, more than 70% did not disclose their mistreatment.
So what would you do if you’re a woman who thinks you’re experiencing or have experienced sexual harassment at work?
Measures You Can Take
If you think you’ve been the subject of sexual misconduct at work, follow these eight steps:
1. Keep track of all exchanges for anything.
- In sexual harassment, known as “quid pro quo sexual harassment,” you are either promised a job, promotion, or favor in exchange for complying with the harasser’s demands, or you are threatened with being demoted, fired, or disciplined if you don’t. Record down the time, date, location, and names of any witnesses if some promises or threats are made.
- If there aren’t any witnesses, do not be concerned. Most harassers are too intelligent to harass in the presence of other people.
2. Note any remarks and unconventional treatment you’ve encountered
- Quid pro quo sexual harassment is highly uncommon compared to the other sort of harassment, dubbed “hostile environment.” You are in a hostile atmosphere when you are being harassed because of your gender.
- This could include remarks that individuals of your gender are less valuable than those of the other sex, sexual remarks, or other forms of discrimination.
- If the assaulter is making remarks or acting differently toward you, they might also be picking on people who are your sex. Observe comments made to you and others with attentiveness and make thorough notes. Restate the date, time, location, and names of any witnesses. Even if it’s only you, you should still record it.
3. Place your documents in a secure location.
Avoid storing them on your computer at work, in a desk drawer, or in any other location where your employer could access them. Instead, type them on your computer or keep them in your purse or briefcase. If you were fired, you wouldn’t be able to access your notes on the company computer, and they might even end up neatly “lost.”
4. Amass your proof.
To ensure that you don’t lose any messages or Status updates, your smartphone breaks, or you acquire a new one, snap a screenshot of the communication and print it. Additionally, print down emails and save them safely.
5. Report any workplace harassment.
According to the Supreme Court, filing a complaint about sexual assault is necessary before doing so. It would help if you offered the company a chance to make things right. If your employer has a sexual harassment policy, be sure you have complied with it and have informed the appropriate party of your issue. If one of them is your harasser, the employer should have other people they can report it to.
6. Present a grievance
The next step is to file a lawsuit with the aid of a Queens sexual harassment lawyer if you have already reported workplace harassment and the company is refusing to take any action. You have 120 or 300 days from the time of discrimination to file, depending on your state. You are shielded from reprisal if you report the discrimination to the authorities.
Last but not least, if you don’t come out with sexual assault, there will be more victims, and the conduct will worsen. Represent your entitlement to a secure workplace. Your company has a responsibility to prevent sexual harassment at work. You can ask for help from Queens sexual harassment lawyer.
