Everyone has a right to feel safe, comfortable, and supported at work. If another individual at work, such as a boss or coworker, has made (or continues to make) you feel uncomfortable, you may be entitled to take legal action.
Understanding Sexual Harassment
The term “sexual harassment” is used a lot, but what does it actually mean? Sexual harassment is defined as physical or verbal conduct of a sexual nature, a request for sexual favors, or unsolicited sexual advances. If you think that you may have suffered harm of a sexual nature at work, but you’re not sure if it meets the definition of true sexual harassment, a lawyer can help you out.
How a Lawyer Can Help
For a variety of reasons, many people don’t get the help they need and deserve after suffering from unwelcome sexual advances at their workplace. Some people fear losing their jobs if they bring forward an accusation of sexual harassment. Others fear ridicule or blame.
Since a sexual harassment accusation is a serious issue, you’ll want to make sure that you can legally make a case. A lawyer can explain your legal rights, review your workplace policy, and outline benefits of workers comp. Your employer might have a certain protocol that employees need to follow when filing suits, such as formally reporting all complaints to the human resources division. If the person who you’d normally report a claim to is the one who is harassing you, you have a legal right to avoid submitting a claim to them. A lawyer can work with you to figure out an alternate individual at your workplace to handle you case.
In addition to helping you understand your legal rights and file a formal complaint, a lawyer can also create an outline of your claim that you can share with people in your workplace and with anyone else who you might want to talk to. Although it might sound surprising, you might encounter retaliation, backlash, and ridicule when you come forward with a sexual harassment claim. Your lawyer can advise you on steps to take to protect yourself after filing a claim. Your lawyer can also advise on how to manage the issue if the problem continues. If you need to take time off of work, he or she will explain your rights through workers comp too.
Dealing with sexual harassment at work is confusing, frightening, and humiliating. But the worst thing you can do is nothing. Coming forward with a sexual harassment claim can be difficult, but an experienced lawyer can ease the process. If you’ve suffered from uncomfortable and unwelcome sexual advances at work, now’s the time to put it to an end.