How victims can counter workplace sexual harassment?

US laws have made sexual harassment at the workplace a gravely punishable offense. To prevent sexual harassment in the workplace the government has adopted stricter laws that may vary state wise. In addition, several awareness programs and training sessions are conducted every year as a preventive measure. However, the efforts have not been able to have any significant impact on the rising instances of workplace sexual harassment and discrimination.

Centuries ago

Some people believe sexual harassment will never be rooted out by men and woman’s very nature. But the positive news is that in modern countries, people have become more civilized. Men and woman in Europe did not work all day together centuries ago, certainly not large groups of men and woman who were strangers to one another.

For the most part, unwelcome and improper sexual conduct is not the only thing that construes sexual harassment. A complaint can be made even if you are subject to gender discrimination at your workplace. Victims must never shun away from complaining even when it involves a supervisor or boss for fear of retaliation. There are laws that prohibit any form of retaliation and vendetta by employers against their employees.

Know your rights

If you are a victim of sexual harassment or discrimination you ought to consider speaking with a sexual harassment legal professional to understand your rights. However, before you do so, make sure to check our employee handbook for rules and regulations involving harassment (http://employment-law.usattorneys.com/). This will help you understand who you must report your complaint to. These initial steps are undoubtedly confidence building measures for a victim.

Ask the harasser to stop

Sexual harassment lawyers always recommend that victims make an immediate move and let the alleged harasser know that his or her behavior is unwelcome. Often, the harasser might actually stop harassing you if you make it clear if their actions are hurting you. If you are unable to talk to your harasser then it would be wise to seek the assistance of a colleague to convey the message and simply write an email or a letter to communicate your discontent.

Inform your Human Resource (HR) department

HR divisions are usually equipped to handle sexual harassment and discrimination issues. Therefore, you ought to inform your immediate supervisor and the HR division. Victims are often in a dilemma when it comes to the decision of notifying the company hierarchy due to fear of retaliation and potential job loss. There is no law that can force an employee to complain to the HR. However, sexual harassment attorneys widely recommend this as an option and in most all cases it would be nice for you to do so if you are being harassed in your public organization such as the IRS or department of education or the company you work for.

Why must a victim complain?

To begin with, the management can take prompt and effective measures to prevent further incidents of harassment if they are alerted. Secondly, there are legal implications as well. The main purpose of a sexual harassment or discrimination lawsuit against the employer and the harasser is to claim damages for the pain inflicted on you.

Do not give your employer any chance to claim that they had no knowledge of the harassment and therefore stopping it was out of question. Failure to report your complaint would only give your employer the chance to deny any liability. Last but not least, a report made to the HR department gives the jury the idea that you considered the demeanor unwelcome and that you took all steps to stop it, say sexual harassment lawyers.

Coping with the mental stress

Sexual harassment has been going on since the beginning of time. Some cultures even condone it, cat calling comes to mind. But sexual harassment is now finally being thwarted with the Internet, more and better information, and a fantastic website such as http://sexual-harassment-lawyers.usattorneys.com/ which allows people to find a sexual harassment lawyer silently and with precision. 

Mental stress is the most likely outcome of harassment. Many victims are prone to panic attacks and become hysterical while some manage to remain outwardly serene. Some victims start to replay the events of the fateful incident repeatedly in their minds in a bid to understand whether they gave some kind of wrong signal that incited the episode, which can in turn affect their job performance.

Victims have a fair chance of beating the odds with the support of friends, family members and psychiatrists, and of course, their sexual harassment lawyer. Additionally, legal professionals recommend seeing a psychiatrist as they can appear as witnesses for the plaintiff and provide invaluable input on the mental state of a victim before a jury.