You should not be made to feel uncomfortable at your place of work in any way, especially given that you spend a lot of your time there. So it is completely unacceptable to be sexually harassed by a coworker or supervisor when you are just trying to do your job well. Read on to discover the steps to take if you are experiencing sexual harassment in the workplace and how a seasoned sexual harassment attorney in Gloucester County, NJ, at The Vigilante Law Firm, P.C., can shield you.
How do I know if I am being sexually harassed?
According to the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), sexual harassment is a type of discrimination against an individual based on their sex. Such harassment may be as subtle as an off-the-cuff joke or as obvious as a planned physical attack. The most common examples are as follows:
- Offensive remarks about an individual’s sex.
- Frequent teasing about an individual’s sex.
- Physical isolation in the workplace due to an individual’s sex.
- Discussion of sexual relations or stories in the workplace.
- Exposing oneself or performing sexual acts on oneself in the workplace.
- Requests for sexual favors as a condition for employment or promotion.
- Unwelcome touching, physical contact, or sexual advances.
- Unwanted sexually explicit photos in workstations.
What steps should I take if I am experiencing sexual harassment in the workplace?
If any of the aforementioned instances of sexual harassment happened to you in your workplace, then you must act fast. That is, it is in your best interest to take the following steps:
- Report the incident of sexual harassment to your employer and your company’s Human Resources department.
- Save records of your attempts to notify your employer or Human Resources department (i.e., complaint documents, email exchanges, voice/video recordings of scheduled meetings, etc).
- Save records of the incident of sexual harassment (i.e., photos and videos of the incident playing out, oral/written witness testimonies, etc).
- Keep a detailed log of each incident of sexual harassment (i.e., the date on which it occurred, who said or did what, which employees witnessed the incident, etc).
- Gather statements from your loved ones on how the incident of sexual harassment has negatively impacted your quality of life.
You must understand that it is illegal for your employer to ignore your report of sexual harassment. At the same time, it is illegal for them to punish you for bringing this claim forward. With all that said, you should not feel intimidated in speaking up and holding the negligent party accountable.
You must take the initiative and reach out to one of the competent New Jersey employment lawyers at your earliest possible convenience. Our team at The Vigilante Law Firm, P.C. will be happy to serve you.
