5-Point Definition Of Sexual Harassment In The Workplace

Facing sexual harassment in the workplace is common today and it can take several forms such as dirty jokes and proposals, watching pornography and sexual banter. Even if you are a victim of this harassment at the workplace, your case may not be strong enough for a legal claim. When sexual conducts, unwanted advances and sexual favours affect your job negatively and creates hostility in the office environment, it can be termed as sexual harassment. Even though a majority of the cases are men harassing women, it can be the other way round or people, or people of the same sex getting into these acts. However, the gender of the offender is not important and all that is required is to meet the acts that can be defined as sexual harassment. The professional sexual harassment lawyers in ct can assist the victims to go through the legal process and get fair judgement in the end.

Protection from sexual harassment

Sexual harassment is one kind of sex discrimination that is prohibited by law and the employers need to comply with it if they have 15 employees. Most of the states and various local governments have created laws to stop the acts of sexual discrimination and harassment. A few of these laws also apply to the smaller employers. A few of these acts that are termed as sexual discrimination can be described below:g

• A supervisor asking an employee to go out for frequent dates and the offers are turned down every time. However, when the final reply of disinterest comes from the employee, the supervisor may warn of dire consequences in the upcoming performance review. The fear of poor rating often forces such employees to reconsider the proposal.
• Harassment of delivery driver every time a package is brought to the car dealer with the workers there making sexual comments about the mannerisms, way of walking and talking and finally threatening the person with sexual assault.
• Sales representatives physically coaxed and cajoled by the client when the latter is drunk. The boss may war the representative of severe consequences due to non-compliance to such acts or propositions.
• Employees cracking sexy and raunchy jokes over coffee or lunch in the workplace. Another employee entering the same place to get coffee can feel uncomfortable with the comments.

Sexual harassment or unwanted or unwelcome sexual behaviour can offend, intimidate, or humiliate a person. It can be verbal, written, or physical. It can happen in the workplace, in those events that are related to work or while carrying out any function that is related to work. The incidents can also occur when many people share the same workplace. The sexual harassment in the workplace lawyers can assist the victims to go through the legal process and get fair judgement in the end.

Labelling a conduct unwelcome

Before proving an act of sexual harassment, you must demonstrate that you did not approve the sexual conducts or offence. In several cases, the conduct is almost definitely unwelcome. If you are fumbler or scrabbled by chance or subject to comments containing sexual hints or even threatened with some kind of assault, the conduct is an act of sexual harassment.

Often, an employee claiming an act of sexual harassment may have been involved in some kind of sexual banter or uttered dirty jokes, and the person involved in some acts can possibly claim that the victim may have found the contact upsetting. If you are the victim of such an act, you may have to prove that such acts of teasing and uttering sexual jokes happened in the workplace frequently to prove that it is an act of sexual harassment.

Severe and repetitive conducts

The best sexual harassment lawyers state that the victims facing hostile environment or harassment in the workplace must show that the conduct has been repetitive and pervasive. For instance, the more serious is the nature of the conduct, the occurrence must be fewer to make it an act of harassment. A single unwelcome act or of sexual assault is enough. On the other hand, the acts of teasing and uttering dirty jokes by a few employees must happen more frequently to prove the act of harassment.

Things to do

The first thing that you need to do after encountering an act of sexual harassment is to tell the perpetrator to stop such acts although a few of them understand that their behaviour is bad enough to upset others.  If you consider the assistance of sexual harassment law firm, you have to prove that you do not approve the acts of the offender, and they are unwelcome. Taking the matters to the court is important if such incidents are to be stopped in the future.

Consulting with an experienced attorney is the best course of action to follow when you are subject to an act of sexual harassment in the workplace. The attorney can conduct negotiations with the employer to put an end to such acts. Furthermore, the legal professional can also help you to become familiar with the internal compliant mechanism of the employees and how to respond to the questions of the investigators. Furthermore, the attorney can also help the victim to draft the complaints.