I Was Sexually Harassed at Work

Understanding what sexual harassment is and the forms it comes in is extremely important for someone to be aware of who believes that they were sexually harassed at work. To be clear, sexual harassment is defined as unwelcome sexual conduct that occurs within the scope of the workplace. Some forms of it include:

• Unwanted sexual advances
• Requests for sexual favors
• Verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature
[Source: U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission].

Hand-touches, inappropriate comments, and even being forced to engage in a sexual act to keep your position are all considered forms of sexual harassment.

If you are the victim of sexual harassment, you may be feeling uneasy, uncertain, and violated. While you might be in fear of telling anyone such as a supervisor or even using the grievance system that is available through your employer to file your complaint, it is important that it gets addressed. The sexual harassment attorneys featured on USAttorneys.com are highly qualified to represent you if you are looking to hold someone accountable for committing sexual misconduct. The fact is, sexual harassment is a violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the person who engaged in such an act could face serious consequences for doing so.

Something else you should be aware of is that employers aren’t the only individuals in the workplace who can be held accountable for sexual misconduct. Supervisors, managers, and even co-workers are liable for any unlawful or unwanted act they force upon you. And it doesn’t have to be a person of the opposite sex to be considered harassment. A woman or a man who displays some sort of unwanted sexual conduct would still be held accountable for their actions.

Sexual Harassment Statistics

Sexual harassment in the workplace occurs more frequently than you might think. A study conducted by Cosmopolitan revealed where sexual harassment occurs most frequently and how much of an issue it truly is. Some of the findings from the study are shared below:

• One in three women between the ages of 18 to 34 have been sexually harassed at work.

• 81% of women experience harassment in verbal form.

• The highest percentage of sexual harassment occurs in the food/service and hospitality industry. 42% of workers reported they were sexually harassment in this industry.

• The industry with the second highest percentage of sexual harassment occurring was retail. 36% of individuals claimed they were sexually harassed.

It is important that anyone who was sexually harassed at work or thinks they may have been either contact the department at their place of employment who handles such matters or reach out to one of the reliable sexual harassment lawyers we can connect you with. Many women and even men feel that because the act wasn’t as serious as others that have been reported that it isn’t worth acknowledging. The fact is, any form of unwanted sexual misconduct is harassment and should be brought to light.

If you need help with locating a nearby sexual misconduct attorney in your city, don’t hesitate to contact us as we have agents readily available to help you.