Each workplace needs to be safe, healthy, and comfortable for every employee. When a workplace feels unsafe and threatens employees, it would be essential to take action by contacting a virginia employment attorney. Multiple factors contribute to making a workplace safe.
However, the employer must ensure the safety of the workplace. An unsafe and hostile work environment has often resulted in sexual harassment. As an employee, it would be helpful for you to know how to recognize and report sexual harassment in the workplace.
How do you recognize sexual harassment?
Specific ways are using which you could recognize the occurrence of sexual harassment. For instance, you can recognize sexual harassment by observing unwanted sexual behavior and language toward you. If a co-worker, employer, or anyone from the workplace commits such behavior, it is a clear sign of the occurrence of sexual harassment.
Every worker has the right to be free from sexual harassment at the workplace. Immigrant workers also have the right to be free from sexual harassment, irrespective of their immigrant status. You should hire an attorney in Virginia if you encounter any unwanted or offensive behavior from anyone at your workplace.
How to report sexual workplace in the workplace?
- Reaching out and gathering support.
As soon as an employee encounters sexual harassment at the workplace, they must reach out to the management or the HR team. If they are not comfortable reaching out to anyone from the workplace, it would be helpful if the employee reached out to their family or friends.
Apart from reaching out to people, an employee should also gather support by contacting the union at the workplace. While gathering support, it would also be beneficial to look out for any potential witnesses or allies willing to help the victim of sexual harassment.
- Safety and documentation
The victim employee should call 9-1-1 and sexual hotlines for safety purposes. Apart from calling legal authorities for personal safety, it is also necessary for an employee to write down the incident or document it. The incident can be recorded by texting a friend when harassment happens, making notes or a journal with complete information about the incident, etc.
- Report
Reporting the harassment to the employer should be prioritized. One should look into the employer’s anti-harassment policy for reporting and complaining. Once aware of the guidelines, the employee must follow the procedure and proceed accordingly. If there is no policy, it would be best to report the incident to supervisors or someone in a higher position than them.
