Workplace sexual harassment comes in many forms and can cause a negative impact on both your work and personal life. Being a victim of workplace sexual harassment can leave you feeling helpless, vulnerable and scared.
You have a right to a safe and healthy workplace environment. If you believe you are a victim of sexual harassment at work, here are some steps to take.
Document everything
Keep track of the date, time and location of each incident and describe what happened. Write down any details you can remember and what you did to stop it from happening.
You can try talking to the sexual harasser themself and telling them their behavior is inappropriate and ask them to stop. However, not everyone is comfortable with this option.
If you do not want to confront the harasser, or you do and the behavior continues, report it to your employer. Find out if your employer has a specific harassment policy in place and who you should contact about it.
Your employer has a legal duty to protect you from sexual harassment and must take steps to fix the problem. It is important to report harassment to your employer since not doing so could affect your rights if you decide to pursue legal action.
Filing an EEOC charge
If your employer does not act against the harassment, you can file a formal claim with the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission (“EEOC”). This is a required step before filing a sexual harassment action against your employer directly.
The compliant is called a “charge of discrimination.” Do not hesitate to file a complaint since there are strict deadlines for filing.
Generally, an EEOC charge for sexual harassment must be filed within 180 days of the last incident of harassment.
The EEOC will review your complaint and decide if they will act against your employer. There are various actions they can take. They may require you and your employer to participate in some type of dispute resolution process to try to resolve the issue.
If the issue is not resolved or the EEOC does not act, you can file a private legal action against your employer.