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 a 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.