Ways To Deal With Sexual Harassment At Work

Sexual harassment at various places of work is no longer

news as we have heard of several cases were either the

male or female worker must have been sexually harassed

either by their boss or a colleague in the office.

It is also known that women usually experience such sexual

harassment and advances more than the men.

I am writing on this article due to the fact that there are

numerous victims of sexual harassment at their place of

work and don't know what to do to resolve the issue.

So what is sexual harassment?

Sexual harassment is an unwanted and undesired sexual

approach for sexual service which makes the affected

person to feel intimidated, hurt or disgruntled. Sexual

harassment is very harmful as it makes the victim to be

unable to carry out his or her duties effectively.

Sexual harassment are being carried out in different ways

(either verbally or physically) through unwarranted

kissing/ touching, sexual demands, lewd and vulgar

interaction, sexual assault etc.

So what can be done when sexually harassed at work?

Well, we shall discuss in this article some few steps to take

in other to empower you on how to deal with any form of

sexual harassment.

Talk to the person about your displeasure:

Immediately you sense any sexual inconvenience while

carrying out your official duty with either your colleague

or boss, it is best you inform such person to stop

immediately. Let your harasser know that you feel

uncomfortable with their advances or behavior and if he or

she continues to harass you, threaten to file a report

either to the HR department or any legal body. Also ensure

that you keep your distance and avoid being alone with

such an individual.

Remember, when you keep quiet, your harasser believes

that you have approved their sexual desires and therefore

sees it as an opportunity to continue to carry out his/her

sexual advances.

Have proof or an evidence:

After telling your harasser about your displeasure of his

behavior towards you and yet still makes sexual advances,

then it is sensible that you collect enough evidence to back

you up when you finally report him/her. Ensure that you

get substantial details like the date/time the harassment

occurred, comments, remarks etc. It is even better if you

get the incidence either on audio recording or video

recordings.

There are numerous spy audio wristwatches, video glasses

or voice recording devices that you can use to his

comments or video his sexual advances.

Find and interact with other victims:

Finding other victims that were sexually harassed by the

same individual will go a long way when you give your

report as they will stand as a witness to your claim. Also,

other victims who had past experience can guide you and

put you through the process they use in filing a complaint

towards their harasser in the past.

Inform the HR Management:

When the issue is getting out of hand especially as the

harasser did not stop his sexual harassment towards you,

it is advisable to quickly contact the Human Resources

Management in your company. The function of the human

resources management in this situation is to inform, guide

and give you expert knowledge on the necessary steps and

actions needed to be taken as regard the sexual

harassment being experienced.

Please endeavor to present all necessary documents and

evidence when filing your complaints to the HR department

while keeping an extra copy for yourself.

Take the issue to court and file a law suit:

Should you desire to seek a legal resolution to the sexual

harassment, it is advisable that you get a lawyer that is

sound in sexual harassment related cases. You can decide

to take the issue of sexual harassment to court and file a

lawsuit. You can file a lawsuit should in case your

employer or boss fired you because of the event or should

you wish to seek financial damages.

Overall, resigning from your place of work should be the

last resort after every option proved abortive and make

sure that you have secured another job before your resign.

Also, it is advisable for companies to have a written policy

that clearly states what action is to be taken in case of any

sexual harassment and measures to stop it