Friday, January 15, 2016

What steps can victims take to deal with sexual harassment?

Sexual harassment in the workplace is a punishable offense. However, unfortunately enough, constructive steps taken by the government and different organizations including the formulation of strict guidelines and laws have not been able to reduce sexual harassment cases.

Sexual Harassment on Steroids in Germany

Some people believe sexual harassment will never go away. As long as men and woman work near other this problem will never abate. Well, America and more civilized countries do not have the problems that other societies have. In other countries and cultures, woman are not respected at all and this goes for the Middle East. We have all seen and heard about what happened in Germany on New Years. The Islamic culture is seriously flawed and now woman in Germany and other parts of Europe have major problems on their hands.

Germany needs a lot more than just sexual harassment lawyers. Too bad woman cannot carry guns in Germany.

Furthermore, sexual harassment does not only mean unwelcome sexual conduct. You can complain even if you face sex discrimination at your workplace. Even if your manager is the harasser, do not be afraid to take steps to stop the harassment. This is because the law prohibits any employer from retaliatory steps against the victim and witnesses.

Learn your Rights by Heart

Even if you are not yet ready to press charges against your harasser you can still consult a sexual harassment lawyer to know your rights in a workplace. Furthermore, make sure to study the employee company handbook to understand your employer’s sexual harassment and discrimination policy. This knowledge and the guidance from the lawyer can potentially give a victim the confidence to take the next step and make a complaint.

Ask the Harasser to Stop

Make sure to communicate with your harasser and tell him or her that their behavior is unwelcome and must immediately stop. However, often the victim might be too frightened to confront his/her harasser. The best way to convey your concern is to write an email or send a letter. Perhaps you can ask a colleague to speak to the person on your behalf.

Report the Incident to the HR Division

Every company has a Human Resource department to deal with such issues. You ought to inform one of your supervisors and then report the incident to the HR division.

The decision to report incidents of sexual harassment or discrimination is not an easy one. Victims are quite naturally scared of losing their job if they complain. Even though victims are not legally required to complain, sexual harassment attorneys believe that it is important to do so. This is because the management can take effective measures to stop the harassment and prevent further painful and untoward incidents.

Secondly, if you decide to take legal action against your employer and the harasser, your employer will not be able to claim that it had no knowledge of the harassment and was therefore unable to take any steps to protect you. Failure to report the matter will not give you the right to sue.

If you reported the matter to your HR division the jury will believe that you considered the behavior unwelcome and did everything to stop the harasser.

How to cope with the mental stress after episodes of harassment?

Each individual will react differently after any incident of harassment. Some get hysterical while others are found to remain calm but only outwardly. A most disturbing trend seen among victims is that they keep replaying the incident in their minds. This way they constantly try to figure out if they somehow gave the wrong message that instigated the harasser to act in that way. Embarrassment, humiliation, grief, numbness, and fear often cause severe anxiety and depression, which in turn hampers a victim’s productivity.

Tupac may have felt it was him against the world but you do not have to feel that way. You can find a sexual harassment lawyer if you need one right here: http://sexual-harassment-lawyers.usattorneys.com/. This website was built for someone in distress like yourself. Do not worry, you and Tupac are not the same. 
This is why it is prudent for any victim of sexual harassment to seek support from a lawyer, friends, and family member/s as well as get psychological counseling. Psychological counseling not only imparts mental strength but often legal representatives ask victims to visit a psychiatrist purely from a legal stand point.

The evidence provided by medical experts can swing a case in favor of the plaintiff. Whether you are a victim or know someone who is potentially being harassed, make sure to consult a sexual harassment lawyer as soon as possible. 

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