Steps Women Can Take if They Have Experienced Sexual Harassment in the Workplace

Women should never have to suffer sexual harassment in the workplace, but unfortunately it happens every day all over the country. Discrimination against someone based on their sex is illegal. If you have experienced sexual harassment in the workplace, you have options to fight back. You can file complaints with both the state and the Federal government because harassment based on sex is against Federal law.

Title VII of the Federal Civil Rights Act makes it illegal for an employer to discriminate against anyone based on their gender, sex, orientation, religion, country of origin, race, or color. If you have been sexually harassed at work you can file a complaint with the Federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the EEOC. It’s their job to protect workers and enforce existing laws against discrimination.

What You Can Do if You’re a Victim:

Sexual harassment is never your fault. Discrimination is never your fault. If you’re a victim of discrimination or harassment you should know that you are not to blame, and that there are ways to fight back.

The first thing that you should do if you’re ready to stand up against harassment is get a written copy of your company’s sexual harassment policy. Every company has one. Usually, the official statement is in the employee handbook, or in the documents you signed when you on-boarded at the company. If you don’t have a printed copy of the official policy, get one from HR. Then read it and make sure that you understand it completely.

The next thing to do is start a log of all of the incidents of sexual harassment or discrimination that you’ve experienced. Write down the date and time of the event, who was involved, and what happened. If you’re not sure if what you’re experiencing is harassment the most common types of sexual harassment and discrimination include things like:

  • Sexual comments or suggestive comments
  • Not being promoted even though you have the skills and education necessary for a promotion
  • Being repeatedly propositioned by people at work, sometimes being told you must do this to get promoted
  • Derogatory comments or demeaning comments about women
  • A company culture that demeans or dehumanizes women

You should have as much documentation as you can get to support your claims of discrimination and harassment. Screenshots or printouts of emails or memos, witness statements, and other documentation will help you prove that the discrimination is occurring.

Once you have your incident log written out send a copy to your boss and to your HR department. Keep all communication in writing so that you have proof of what was said. Then you should file a claim with the EEOC.

Filing A Claim For Sexual Harassment

Violating the Civil Rights Act is a serious offense. The EEOC will investigate and if the company is found to have violated the Civil Rights Act they could face fines and other penalties, including criminal penalties. You may be able to file a complaint at the state level also, although many states have an agreement with the EEOC where the states open a case automatically if a company in that state is named in an EEOC complaint.

 

Resources:

https://www.employmentlawhelp.org/sexual-harassment/title-vii

https://www.employmentlawhelp.org/faq/eeoc-office-by-state/kentucky

https://www.employmentlawhelp.org/sexual-harassment/sample-letter

 

About the Author

Cendy Moliere is an Outreach Specialist with Employment Law Help, an independent organization advocating for workers justice. We provide information on sexual harassment, unpaid wages, discrimination, retaliation and whistleblowing. We help our readers protect and expand the legal rights and opportunities of workers.