The Components Of Sexual Harassment

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The Components Of Sexual Harassment
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Sexual harassment in the workplace is far too
prevalent. This is a situation no one would like
to be in and it can affect anybody. The EEOC
definition of sexual harassment is unwelcome
sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and
other verbal or physical harassment of a sexual
nature. Its important to know that harassment
does not have to be sexual in nature. One of the
main forms of sexual harassment is making a
hostile work environment.
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What Is Hostile Work Environment?
A hostile work environment is when anyone in the
organization (superior or not) brings unwelcome
conduct, making the victim feel uncomfortable.
Their behavior is seen as intimidating, hostile,
or offensive. Many people dont know that this
harassment doesnt have to include threatening
the individual with firing them nor does it have
to be specifically targeted to that individual.
For example, someone in the workplace posts a
woman in a swimsuit in their cubicle. Someone
could find it offensive even though it isnt
targeted towards them. It is considered as making
a hostile work environment.
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Common Myths About Sexual Harassment
Many people may think that the harasser has to
try to intentionally harm the victim. A person
may be ignorant to their behavior and it can
still be considered sexual harassment. An example
of this would be an employee asking another
coworker on a date. It is still considered sexual
harassment even if they meant no harm. As
mentioned previously, the victim doesnt have
been directly harassed. Another example of this
would be if a coworker makes a joke to his other
coworker saying that women are bad drivers. If
another person hears this joke and finds it
offensive, then it is still considered sexual
harassment even though they werent in the
conversation and it wasnt directed to them.
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EMPLOYERS DUTY IN SEXUAL HARASSMENT
Employers must provide a safe work environment
for all of their workers. They must have policies
and procedures to prevent sexual harassment in
the first place. Its the employers job to
always enforce these policies and employers must
inform their employees of these policies. This
could be a bulletin they put up in the employee
break room. They must have clear reporting
procedures for if an employee feels that have
encountered sexual harassment in the workplace.
This could be a step-by-step process they need to
take.
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Anybody and everybody in the workplace must be
trained on how to recognize sexual harassment and
what you should do if you see or encounter it. If
someone in the workplace feels that have been
sexually harassed, its the employers duty to
evaluate the situation. They must take actions to
make sure it doesnt happen again and these
actions cannot have an adverse impact on the
victim. For example, they couldnt move the
victim to a different department if it meant they
had to take less pay.
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Contact An Attorney
Encountering sexual harassment is very
overwhelming and scary. Its important to know
that you are not alone and you dont have to be
silent about it. You deserve a say and you
deserve to feel safe. If you feel your company
didnt do everything they could to remedy the
situation, then you may need to speak with a Los
Angeles sexual harassment attorney. When dealing
with this delicate subject matter, you want
someone who is experienced. The Rager Law Firm
has years of experience in sexual harassment and
will fight for your rights. Contact them for a
free initial consultation at 310-527-6994 or fill
out the contact form.
Jeffrey Rager
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Contact Rager Law Firm
1055 West 7th Street Los Angeles, CA 90017
310-527-6994
https//www.ragerlawoffices.com/contact/