How to Protect Yourself From Sexual Harassment in the Workplace
June 23, 2021
According to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 60 percent of women experienced sexual harassment in their workplace. Their experiences ranged from inappropriate comments to unwanted touching to coercion, coming from both males and females. Males have also been victims, though.
Sexual harassment can include name-calling, physical assaults, offensive jokes, sending inappropriate pictures or objects, unwelcome touching, and more. The harasser can be male or female.
So, how do you protect yourself from sexual harassment at work? By following these steps:
Steps to Protect Yourself from Sexual Harassment in the Workplace
Before anything else, take the time to read the full definition of sexual harassment. According to Illinois Human Rights Act, sexual harassment in employment refers to unwanted sexual advances, any conduct of sexual nature, or even requests for sexual favors.
Submitting to such conduct may implicitly or explicitly be made a condition of employment or submitting or rejecting the request may affect a decision about your employment. Your decision to comply or disagree with the conduct may also impact your job performance or set up a hostile, offensive, or intimidating work environment.
As a next step, study the institutional policies related to sexual harassment at the company you’re working for.
As soon as you experience sexual harassment, report the incident to your supervisor. If it’s your supervisor who harassed you, report the case to a higher authority in the company. If necessary, discuss the problem with the human resources personnel. Don’t ever feel fearful about reporting gestures, conduct, or comment from someone that made you uneasy.
If it doesn’t put you under further harassment, speak with the harasser directly and tell them that you feel their behavior was inappropriate.
Put the incident in writing as soon as you can. This will help you in filing your claim.
Turn to your family, colleagues, friends, or your state’s legal authorities for support.
Hire an Employment Law Firm
While following the above-explained steps should protect you, if you still face sexual harassment at work, hire an Illinois employment law attorney. Michael Smith, a respected employment attorney with an impressive record of protecting employees, is here to tackle your case.
Serving in Illinois for over 30 years, Michael T. Smith truly understands sexual harassment concerns and knows how to secure compensation for what you’ve been through. Book your free initial consultation with the Law Office of Michael Smith today.