How can you Identify Workplace Sexual Harassment?
Sexual harassment is very broad and encompasses a wide variety of inappropriate and unwanted actions or behaviors. It can include any act or speech directed toward an individual with an unwanted sexual context or tone. All genders can be victims of sexual harassment, and it can come from any number of people. These harassing behaviors are illegal in the workplace under federal law:
- Unwelcome contact or sexual contact at work
- Sexual propositioning within the workplace
- Using profanity, insults, and nicknames to inappropriately refer to someone or their body
- Suggestive gestures and movements
- Displaying sexual content or pornography at work
- Coercion in the workplace for sexual acts
If you have questions about your experiences and whether or not they constitute sexual harassment, contact the sexual harassment attorneys at Zeff Law Firm to discuss the specifics of your case.
Is it Difficult to Prove Sexual Harassment?
This can depend a lot on the circumstances of the sexual harassment claim. In some cases, the victim does not have adequate proof of harassment occurring, and did not properly document the instances or their efforts to discuss the problem with their employer. When this happens, it becomes a situation of one person’s word versus another’s, and it can be easy for the abuser to deny the allegations against them. However in other instances, the victim has proper and consistent documentation about instances of harassment, or has documented the instances of sexual harassment with their employer. Having this type of documentation leaves you with a paper trail that can be easily traced by investigators and clearly shows instances of sexual harassment. Sexual harassment rarely happens only in a single occurrence, so having documentation to show a clear pattern of harassing behavior can be extremely helpful in building your case. The sexual harassment attorneys at Zeff Law Firm can advise you about the evidence to provide to support your case.
What Evidence do you Need to Prove Sexual Harassment?
Below are some other forms of evidence to gather if you feel you are the victim of sexual harassment:
- Documentation of each incident
- The comments or behaviors that illustrate sexual harassment
- The harasser’s names and any witnesses
- If you made complaints, details as to whom and their response, and whether action was taken
- Any documentation (emails, policies, etc.) that you have received
- Your reactions to the incident and your feelings afterwards
- Any changes in your well being or ability to perform at work
Contact the sexual harassment lawyers at Zeff Law Firm to discuss the strength of the evidence in your case.