When you are at work, you shouldn’t have to feel uncomfortable or harassed. There is company protocol in place regarding behavior of employees when on the job. There are also state and federal laws that prohibit sexual harassment in the workplace. If you have suffered from sexual harassment in the workplace, you do have laws and protections available so you can pursue legal action against your employer, coworker, and/or manager for how you were treated.
As an example, someone that you work with wants to show you something on their phone. When you look, it is a sexually inappropriate video. This is sexual harassment, and it isn’t permitted in the workplace. Or, you could be the only female in an office and when you walk by a co-workers desk, he always has videos of nude women showing on his computer screen.
If you are subject to this kind of behavior, you will need to act. You should tell the co-worker or manager to stop and that you are offended by their actions. You should then report the incident to your employer. Your manager or supervisor should take action to ensure that you are not a victim of this specific kind of behavior again.
Sexual harassment is a serious matter, and it should be properly addressed. If an employee reports that they are the victim of sexual harassment, it should be taken seriously, and your employer should respond.
If they don’t address the matter, or if they brush it off like it isn’t a big deal, then you should enlist legal help and pursue a claim against your employer. You do have rights, and with an attorney, you can ensure your rights are protected and make sure that you are treated fairly.
Sexual Harassment Punishment
Your employer will need to take legal action against your co-worker for their behavior. You have been sexually harassed. The employer response is important, but of course, it varies depending on the severity of the act and the frequency of it. If it is a one-time thing, you cannot expect them to receive the same kind of reprimand as someone who repeatedly harasses co-workers or fails to abide by company policy.
You will want to take note at how your employer responds. If your employer doesn’t address the problem or fails to acknowledge that what happened was inappropriate or would be considered harassment, then you may have grounds to pursue a legal claim against your employer. Your employer has the responsibility of maintaining a safe, stress-free workplace for its employees.
Be sure to maintain any employment related paperwork and documentation, such as an employee handbook, employment contract, memos, training documents, emails, and so forth. You will want to know if proper protocol and procedure were followed, and if not, then you have grounds to pursue a claim against your employer because they are not properly addressing the issues.
This is especially true if the incident occurs more than once. Recurring incidents must be properly and promptly addressed, and there should be no delays regarding the matter. Always document everything and keep track of everything that is said or done.
Evidence and documentation are a necessity in such cases. These can be difficult situations in which to prove what happened, and the more evidence and documentation that you can provide the stronger your claim will be and the more likely you are to have a successful claim and to recover your damages.
Speak With an Employment Law Attorney
If you have been shown inappropriate videos while at work, you may have been the victim of sexual harassment. If this is an issue that you have experienced and your employer has not properly addressed the issue, then you should enlist the help of an employment law attorney who handles such cases in your area.
With the help of an employment law attorney who files a sexual harassment claim, you may be able to recover compensation for your damages, and you can put an end to that kind of behavior in the workplace. By pursuing a claim, you may be able to protect co-workers and future employees of that employer from inappropriate actions, illegal behavior, and sexual harassment.
Time is limited to pursue a claim, so complete the Free Case Evaluation Form on this page today to share the details regarding your claim with an attorney who handles employment law matters in your area.
