Sexual harassment cases happen fairly often in today’s workplace. And, since sexual harassment can come in a variety of forms, it is critical to understand if you are being sexually harassed or not.
What Does Sexual Harassment Look Like?
The most common forms of sexual harassment are as follows:
- Unwelcome sexual advances made by supervisors or co-workers.
- Requests made by others for dates or sexual favors.
- Implications that an employee must sleep with or preform sexual favors in order to keep his or her job or receive promotions.
- Demeaning comments, especially when they are in regards to a person’s body.
- Unwelcome physical or verbal conduct, of a sexual manner.
- Sexually explicit content or materials, which are often sent via email, posted on bulletin boards, or verbally shared.
Who Is Likely To Be Sexually Harassed?
Unfortunately, sexual harassment can happen to any employee. While the majority of sexual harassment claims consists of women claiming that men sexually harassed them, sexual harassment cases can be gender-neutral as well. Employees can also be sexually harassed from virtually anyone in the workplace as well, including: a supervisor, manager, co-worker, and even non-employees, like customers and vendors.
What Should I Do If I Am Being Sexually Harassed?
If you feel that you are experiencing sexual harassment in your workplace, it is important to refer to your company’s sexual harassment policy and address the issue as soon as possible. Often times this means that the claim should be brought to the attention of the Human Resources department or a supervisor. However, if you feel that your claim is not being handled appropriately, you should speak with an employment attorney who specializes in sexual harassment claims immediately.
The employment attorneys at Maduff & Maduff specialize in sexual harassment, discrimination, and other workplace issues. Contact us for more information, or if you have any questions in regards to your workplace or sexual harassment issue today.