If you suffer sexual harassment at work you may need to take legal action to get some sort of resolution. While employers are meant to protect you from such things and take action if you report it to them, some do not, or their action is insufficient. That could leave you needing to go the legal route
You have two legal grounds you can use when claiming workplace sexual harassment:
1. Hostile work environment
The law requires employers to provide employees with a safe working environment, and that means emotional safety as well as physical safety. If you no longer have that, you may look at claiming a hostile work environment. You’d need to provide evidence of the incident or incidents that left you feeling uncomfortable or emotionally unprotected.
Examples could include a lecherous supervisor brushing up against you, a group of colleagues discussing your clothing choices in a sexually related way or the general chauvinistic culture of the place.
2. Quid pro quo
Sometimes a person might use their influence or authority over another person to try and extract something of a sexual nature from them. For example, a colleague could threaten to report you for something they saw you doing unless you agree to date them. Or a manager might offer you a promotion if you agree to dress more sexily for them. This could justify a quid pro quo basis for legal action – you do something for them and they will do something for you.
If you experience sexual harassment at work, learning more about your options can help you determine the next steps to take.
