Housekeepers work incredibly hard and many of them are self-employed, so every job is tied to putting food on the table and a roof over their families’ heads. In an ideal world, housekeepers would work in peaceful, safe and secure environments where they don’t have to worry about anything but getting the job done. In fact, providing a safe place to work is the responsibility of employers.
Unfortunately, though, for many housekeepers who are self-employed (and even those who work with cleaning companies) the reality is that there are times when their safety is threatened on the job. In some cases, they become the targets of sexual harassment.
Sexual harassment includes unwanted sexual advances, jokes of a sexual nature targeted at someone based on gender or directed at a particular gender as a whole, requests for sexual favors in exchange for perks or rewards, or any other examples of physical or verbal harassment that is sexual in nature. It can take place between a male and female or between members of the same gender.
If you are a housekeeper and you have been subjected to sexual harassment, the biggest challenge will be in determining how to proceed. If you are self-employed, then you cannot go to a boss or supervisor because there is no one to report to. You might also be torn when it comes to potentially losing a source of income. Even if you work through a cleaning agency, the process of reporting sexual harassment is stressful.
What to do
If you have been a victim of sexual harassment, it might feel like you are all alone, especially if you are self-employed. However, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects workers from sexual harassment, and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is there to offer support in these situations.
Filing a report of sexual harassment can be stressful, but you need to collect as much evidence is possible, determine who you need to speak with to file your report and possibly meet with an employment attorney to determine what your options are.
Gather Evidence
Gathering evidence is particularly important when you are a housekeeper because you are working in someone’s home, and that means you won’t have easy access to things like security camera footage. As the victim of sexual harassment, it is up to you to provide as much evidence as possible about the incident.
Start out with the day and time that the incident took place. Try to record everything that happened, from conversations to inappropriate touching, and note if there was anyone else present. If there were witnesses, see if you can speak with them to learn what they saw and heard when the incident took place.
If you can gain access to security footage, that will be very helpful, as will any emails, text messages and voicemails that support your claim.
Reporting
If you work for a cleaning company, then you can report the incident to your supervisor or human resources. When you file your report, make sure that you pay attention to how the information is received and what action is taken. Your employer should act on your behalf to remedy the situation, but if no corrective action is taken then you should proceed to filing a claim against your employer.
If you are self-employed, you cannot report the incident to a supervisor, so your only option is to file a claim with the EEOC or to file a private lawsuit. In either case, you would benefit from meeting with an employment lawyer to discuss your options.
Have your case evaluated by an expert
As a housekeeper, your options to file a sexual harassment report are limited when you are self-employed and that’s when you need to file a claim against your employer. In this case, the employer would be the person you are working for and not a company, since you are not employed by a company. This is where working with an experienced attorney can help.
Many employment attorneys will meet with you for a free or reduced-fee consultation, at which point they will explain your options and determine the best course of action for you. They will also review their fee structure and the good news is that many employment lawyers work on a contingency basis, meaning that they will take your case with no money up front and you will only pay if you win your case. While working with an employment attorney does not guarantee that you will win your case, it will greatly increase the chances of a favorable outcome.
The benefit to working with an employment attorney is that they can help you to obtain the biggest settlement possible. When you file a sexual harassment lawsuit you might be entitled to lost wages, legal fees and compensation for emotional distress caused by the incident.
For more information about how an employment lawyer can help you, fill out a free case evaluation form.
