One reason many employees stay silent about sexual harassment in the workplace is they fear retaliation from their employers. According to a study on Vox, employer retaliation is so prevalent in the workplace that 75 percent of workers have experienced it. Though there are laws to protect them against it, it is still a common practice in many Kansas City workplaces and across the country. It is unlawful for employers to take retaliatory actions, such as demoting, reducing pay, reassigning position, unfavorable performance evaluations and harassment against workers who report sexual harassment.
To make it easier for workers to feel more confident about taking a proactive stance against sexual harassment in the workplace, here are a few ways to avoid employer retaliation.
Keep it private
It is not unusual for workers to talk about life and work while they perform their job duties. Regardless of how many “friends” and allies a claimant thinks they have at work, they should refrain from discussing their sexual harassment claim with coworkers. Anything they say could end up reaching a supervisor’s ears and lead to further harassment. They should also avoid complaining to their coworkers.
Keep it off social media
For many people, nothing seems more tempting that posting every moment of their waking lives on social media. Anything that is shared online can become public and give supervisors more information to use against the claimant. Legal matters should not be discussed on social media because it could lead to issues.
Document all incidents
Evidence is crucial for any type of harassment claim. It is likely that some employers continue mistreating their workers after they have been reported for harassment. Employees should document every incident where they believe they we abused and mistreated. The date, time and names, job titles and phone number of witnesses are necessary to help validate their claims.
Sexual harassment is more than offensive. Unchecked, it can create a toxic work environment for all workers.
