If you are experiencing sexual harassment in the workplace in Virginia, you should immediately report the harassment to your employer. You should also contact an attorney to discuss your situation.
Sexual harassment can happen to anyone regardless of gender or sexual orientation. Sexual harassment in the workplace is a serious issue that can hurt the health and wellbeing of workers.
There are two main types of workplace sexual harassment: hostile work environment and quid pro quo.
Hostile work environment sexual harassment occurs when someone you work with makes you the target of unwelcome sexually suggestive or demeaning comments, repeated requests for dates, offensive touching or gesture, pornographic material, intimidating behaviors, jokes, or pranks. These offenses must be severe and pervasive. This means it happens often enough to affect your ability to do your job well. Importantly, it must be conduct that is directed at you because of your gender or gender expression. Conduct that is directed at all employees, even if offensive, may not qualify as discrimination.
Another way it occurs is if your employer provides less favorable work conditions to you than your different sex coworkers simply because of your gender status.
The second type of workplace sexual harassment is quid pro quo. This occurs when a supervisor or manager asks or demands sexual contact from you in return for employment benefits or promotions.
What if I didn’t say no? What if I was too scared? It can still be sexual harassment even if you didn’t say no. If you felt pressured or were too afraid to say no, then your sexual contact could have been a form of illegal harassment.
First, tell your harasser to stop. Then you need to report the harassment to management or human resources. Have a trusted witness with you when you make the complaint or try to get some proof that the employer received your complaint and the date it was filed.
If your employer refuses to do anything about the workplace sexual harassment, you need to look for external support. This often means speaking to an employment attorney about your harassment. There are certain time limits, so don’t wait to speak to an attorney about your case.
If you are in need of an attorney’s advice, please contact Cook, Craig, and Francuzenko today. Our firm has attorneys who specialize in a variety of practice areas. With over 100 years of combined experience, we are seasoned professionals ready to help you.
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