Reporting Harassment at Work
You are not supposed to get fired for reporting harassment but if you are, there are legal repercussions you can take against an employer that has unlawfully fired you.
Many employees fear that if they report harassment, especially harassment that comes from a supervisor or boss, it will cause them to lose their jobs rather than stopping the unwanted and (in many cases) illegal behavior. Many employees are good, decent people who simply do not want to cause trouble even though the harassment they have endured is really quite troubling indeed. Many employees who have been harassed at work fear reprisals from other co-workers, their bosses or the harasser themselves.
These, plus many other fears about reporting harassment that are not mentioned here, are understandable and valid fears. If you are getting harassed at work, it does not matter who is harassing you, there are laws to protect workers from fealing unsafe while at work.
Many employers are good decent people that do not harass their employees and effectively address harassment complaints but the unfortunate reality is that some employers are not good to their employees. It does no matter who your harasser(s) are, you should never have to feel unsafe while you are trying to perform your job.
Things to do if You Are Harassed at Work
If you are getting harassed at work and you are comfortable enough to do so, you should ask a supervisor or someone in Human Resources (if where you work has an HR department) whether the company (or business, etc.) has an anti-harassment policy. If they have one, they are supposed to give this to employees upon request and you should follow the guidelines that are laid out for different options for reporting your harassment, including filing a complaint. Human resources (HR) departments are supposed to keep harassment complaints confidential while looking into them.
If where you work does not have an anti-harassment policy, you are supposed to be able to talk to a supervisor about this. This can be any supervisor at your place of employment, even if they are not directly your supervisor or your supervisor/superior in any way at all. You are allowed to talk to the harasser’s supervisor if this is what you would like to do. You should explain what has happened and ask for help.
No matter whether or not you do or do not speak with a supervisor or someone in HR, the law protects you from retaliation for complaining about harassment and you have a right to discuss your situation with a workers compensation lawyer to get your rights protected and upheld. The law gives employees the right to report harassment, participate in a harassment investigation or lawsuit, and/or oppose harassment, without being retaliated against for doing so.
Stay informed of legal information with Legal Claims Solutions.