Unwanted sexual advances can unfortunately happen in a variety of locations. When sexual harassment occurs in the workplace, it may feel particularly violating as California employees generally want to feel safe at work. Because most employers want to discourage this type of action, workers may be able to follow certain procedures to report such harassment. However, sometimes filing a complaint is not always enough.
If a place of employment has a human resources department, individuals who wish to file a claim may want to start there. Representatives will usually ask questions about the situation, look into the claims further and follow up. When harassment victims prepare to file their complaints, they may wish to have as much documentation regarding the incident or incidents as possible. Emails, texts, photographs and other similar documents could work as evidence.
In many cases, HR representatives will take the necessary measures to ensure that claims are properly addressed. Unfortunately, not all representatives take complaints as seriously as they should, and they may not follow up or take other necessary steps to address the harassment. As a result, harassment victims could continue to experience negative behaviors.
When employers and other necessary parties do not do their part to address sexual harassment at work, employees may need to take further action. Filing lawsuits could be warranted in some cases, and workers may wish to find out more information on their legal options. Experienced California attorneys could provide assistance and information for how to properly address this type of harassment and how to move forward with any appropriate legal action.
Source: Cosmopolitan, “What To Do If You’re Harassed At Work — And HR Isn’t Helping“, Michelle Ruiz, Nov. 2, 2017