When all you want to do is perform well at your job, it is sad when you are continually distracted or hindered by acts of harassment. This is unacceptable behavior no matter what the circumstances or excuses for it may be, so you should not feel ashamed to report this negligent party and have them pay for its consequences. Without further ado, please continue reading to learn how to report harassment by a coworker or supervisor and how an experienced sexual harassment attorney in Gloucester County, NJ, at The Vigilante Law Firm, P.C., can help you feel safe at work again.
How might I have been harassed in the workplace?
By definition, workplace harassment is any unwelcome conduct that creates a hostile or offensive work environment for the victim, subsequently interfering with their job performance. Such conduct may be initiated due to the victim’s protected characteristics, such as their race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, or genetic information. Sadly, you may be harassed in the workplace by a coworker or supervisor in any one of the following ways:
- Your coworker may repetitively make offensive jokes at your expense.
- Your coworker may display visibly offensive objects or pictures in their workstation in your field of vision.
- Your supervisor may consistently spam you with meals cluttered with insults, name-calling, and threats.
- Your supervisor may constantly ridicule you and your job performance in front of your coworkers in meetings.
That said, unfortunately, one of the most common forms of workplace harassment is sexual harassment. Any of the aforementioned examples may also be sexual in nature, constituting sexual harassment. But you would also know if you fell victim to this if the following scenarios are relevant to you:
- Your coworker may make unwanted touching or physical contact with you in the workplace.
- Your supervisor may request sexual favors and threaten your termination if you do not comply.
How do I report harassment by a coworker or supervisor at work?
If you have feelings and grounds to believe that your coworker or supervisor harassed you at work, you must immediately report it to your employer’s Human Resources (HR) Department. According to New Jersey law, HR is legally obligated to investigate all harassment claims thoroughly. What’s more, it is illegal for HR to accept your supervisor’s decision to terminate you after you bring this claim forward.
Therefore, you may forward your complaint to the New Jersey Division of Civil Rights or the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission if you believe your company’s HR Department mishandled your initial report. Better yet, after seeking legal consultation, you may learn you have a strong enough case for the state or federal court.
Before entering these proceedings, you should have already hired one of the skilled New Jersey employment lawyers to represent you. So, if you have not done so already, please contact The Vigilante Law Firm, P.C. today.
