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You shouldn’t feel like you have to tolerate sexual harassment at work. Whether you’ve been the target of offensive sexual jokes and comments or inappropriate physical touching in the workplace, you have a right to report it and expect it to stop. If it doesn’t, or if your employer terminates you after you report the harassment, you can take legal action with the guidance of an Orange County employment lawyer. Consider what to expect when this occurs.
What Does California Law Say About Workplace Sexual Harassment?
The most important detail to know is that both state and federal laws prohibit sexual harassment. There is never a time when it’s appropriate or acceptable for an employee to be sexually harassed by a coworker, client, manager, or anyone else at work. After all, it’s a type of discrimination based on your sex, and it’s always illegal.
Some legal guidelines that prohibit sexual harassment at work include California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act and the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Additionally, California has stricter requirements than many other states when it comes to avoiding sexual harassment. Employers with five or more workers are expected to prevent sexual harassment from occurring by creating a written policy on it and providing employees with training to identify and report it
If your employer has ignored these requirements for prevention and does not take any action when you report sexual harassment to your supervisor or HR department, it’s time to talk to an Orange County employment lawyer. You may need to file a lawsuit to make any progress toward stopping sexual harassment in the workplace, and a skilled attorney can help you with every step.
What Should You Expect When You Report Sexual Harassment?
The best possible outcome of your report is that the harassment stops immediately and the perpetrators are punished accordingly. If this doesn’t occur, you should talk to a lawyer to find out how to file a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Once you do this, the EEOC will investigate your claim and decide if you have a right to sue.
The EEOC will consider your evidence and contact your employer to learn more. If your employer does not cooperate with the EEOC during this time, or if they immediately retaliate against you for your report, they will face legal consequences.
Once the EEOC gives you the option to bring a sexual harassment lawsuit against your employer, your Orange County attorney will help you gather evidence and determine the compensation to pursue. This will depend on your losses, including missed wages, lost benefits, humiliation, emotional distress, and more. You deserve to be compensated for any financial and emotional effects of being sexually harassed at work, so you can trust your lawyer to work toward the best outcome for your case.
What If You Face Workplace Retaliation After Reporting Harassment?
A major reason many people are afraid to report sexual harassment is the fear of being fired or subjected to a hostile work environment afterward. Unfortunately, workplace retaliation does occur sometimes, as some employers either don’t realize it’s illegal or assume they won’t be caught.
However, help is available if you pursue a workplace retaliation claim. You deserve to seek justice for your losses, especially if you were wrongfully terminated because you reported harassment. Even if you weren’t fired but willingly quit, you can still initiate a legal case if you felt heavily pressured to quit due to the hostile work environment your employer created.
Keep in mind that retaliation can include being fired or demoted, but it can also involve being transferred to a different location, being left out of meetings, and being assigned undesirable job duties. If your treatment at work changed for the worse after you reported sexual harassment, you might have a retaliation case to pursue. This can lead to compensation for you and heavy fines for your employer.
If you’re ready to learn what type of legal action to take after experiencing sexual harassment and retaliation at work, contact Odell Law, PLC today. You can benefit from getting legal advice from a compassionate and knowledgeable Orange County employment law attorney who will explain your legal options, so call 949-771-8173 for a free consultation.
