Sexual harassment runs rampant in our state’s workplaces. And the impact is tremendous. Workers who are subjected to sexual harassment can feel unsafe in their position, suffer adverse employment action, experience a decrease in income, take a hit to their reputation, face stymied career advancement and experience psychological trauma. Nobody deserves that, which is why the law affords protections to those who are subjected to sexual harassment.
Yet, acting on your workplace protections requires proactiveness. No one is going to step in and advocate for you. Instead, you have to be prepared to advocate for yourself. While this involves gathering evidence and building compelling legal arguments, it also means avoiding commonly made mistakes when building a sexual harassment case.
What mistakes do you need to be aware of as you build a sexual harassment case?
There are several, any one of which could prevent you from securing the just outcome that you want. That said, here are some of the most made mistakes that you’ll want to avoid:
- Minimizing the discrimination: Far too many workers downplay the severity of the sexual harassment perpetrated upon them. When this happens, they let egregious behavior slide. This not only causes problems with taking legal action for the sexual harassment to which they’ve been subjected, but it also encourages the perpetrator to continue their behavior and act more aggressively. You need to take all acts of sexual harassment seriously and act quickly to bring them to a stop.
- Neglecting to document the harassment: If you’re going to take legal action later on, you’ll need evidence to support your claim. But by the time your case gets to settlement negotiations or litigation, the facts might be a little fuzzy, which can be problematic. But by documenting each instance of sexual harassment, you can lock in the details so that they’re simpler to recall. This will make it easier for you to build a strong sexual harassment case.
- Waiting too long to act: There are strict timelines in place when it comes to reporting harassing behavior and acting on your legal rights. If you wait too long to act, then you could miss an opportunity to secure the relief that you need.
- Retaliating: When you’ve been wronged by a co-worker or an employer, it can be tempting to get back at them. But be careful here. Your actions could tarnish your credibility and the reliability of your claim, and it could lead to serious allegations being levied against you. Don’t do something that will take attention off the real issue at hand.
- Failing to track your losses: In the aftermath of sexual harassment, you may need mental health treatment to deal with the trauma you’ve experienced, and you could need additional education or training to make yourself competitive in the marketplace and to secure a comparable job. Just be sure that you try to mitigate your losses as much as possible, as that could be a major focus of any future legal action that you take.
Act now to protect your interests after being sexually harassed
Sexual harassment needs to be taken seriously. Unfortunately, though, all too often it’s shrugged off at the expense of innocent workers like you. Don’t let your concerns be brushed under the rug. Act now to start building your sexual harassment case aimed at finding accountability and recovering any compensation that you may be owed. We know the process can seem daunting, but you’re strong enough to face this and fight to reclaim your future.
