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Sexual
Harassment
Handle Your
Situation Better
Sexual
harassment in the workplace affects thousands of people on a daily
basis.
Essentially, this type of harassment is simply
unwanted
attention of a sexual nature.
Harassment that is sexual in nature most commonly
affects women, but can be experienced by either gender.
Being
the target of this type of behavior in the workplace can make
a person’s
workday extremely stressful, and can interfere with the ability to do
one’s job.
Tips For
Dealing With
Sexual Harassment:
Tell The
Person
- If you are the
victim of sexual harassment, then the first thing you should do is tell
the person or group of people responsible that the behavior is
unacceptable.
- Sometimes, individuals think that their
behavior is good-natured teasing, not realizing the inappropriateness
of their actions.
- If this is the case, make it perfectly
clear that you are uncomfortable with the behavior, and will take
appropriate action if it does not stop.
Tell
Management
- If telling the person or people responsible has
no effect,
then report the problem to the appropriate level of
management.
- Don’t let management tell you to avoid the
individual.
- Make it clear that your current work conditions
are unacceptable, and that steps must be taken to make the environment
workable again.
- Request that either you or the individual be
reassigned in order to minimize contact.
Avoid the
Person
- Don’t give the individual any unnecessary
ammunition.
- Minimize contact with the person or group of
people, keeping all contact professional only.
- Also, do not
respond to inappropriate behavior on the part of the
harasser.
- He or she is most likely looking from a
reaction on
your part.
- Failing to give one will likely cause the
behavior
to become more infrequent, and then stop altogether.
Take
Legal Action
- If moving up the management chain and reporting
the
problem has no effect to curb the inappropriate behavior, then legal
action might be the best avenue left available to you.
- In
fact, threatening legal action can often be a quick way to get
management’s attention and get the problem fixed. If not, it
may be best to seek legal advice, and find a solution to the problem
that way.
- Sometimes, the company will have necessary
forms to
fill out, and they will not take the problem seriously until you go
through these official channels and leave a paper trail.
Going
through these channels can help you deal with sexual harassment in the
workplace. It is important to remember that nobody should
ever have to deal with this type of harassment.
The workplace
should be a professional environment of respect and equality.
Never let your boss hint at the fact that you brought the behavior on
yourself by way of your actions.
If possible, get a co-worker
who can bear witness to the actions to testify on your
behalf. This will add credence to your claims and make them
harder to ignore.
Most of all, don’t put up with sexual
harassment. Be persistent in demanding an appropriate
resolution to the problem.
For further information on employee
rights, such as the sexual
harassment section here, please be sure
to check out the following areas:
Similar to the employee rights, employers also have
responsibilities and rights. To learn more about this, check
out the employer
liability insurance section.
And don't forget to check out the various employment
background screening sections, especially if you are
interested in federal
government jobs.
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