Arizona workers may be interested to learn that many individuals who deal with sexual harassment in the workplace remain silent. A survey from CareerBuilder showed that 12 percent of workers have experienced harassment. Of these participates, 72 percent have not reported the incidents to their supervisors or bosses.
According to the survey, there were several main reasons that those experiencing the harassment did not make reports. For example, 40 percent of the workers feared that they would be labeled as a troublemaker by their workplace. Another 22 percent said that the only evidence they had was their word against the other person’s word. Eighteen percent said that they were afraid they would lose their job as a result of making a report.
Of the workers who did report the sexual harassment, about 75 percent said that the issue was ultimately resolved. Even so, the fear of punishment is still valid, so companies should work to take reports of sexual harassment seriously. This means making it clear that sexual harassment is not tolerated in the workplace and that any reports received will be dealt with seriously.
It is illegal for companies to turn a blind eye to sexual harassment in the workplace. If a worker reports an incident of inappropriate attention or unwanted touching and is terminated as a result, an employment rights attorney may assist with opening an investigation into the allegations and filing a claim against the employer. In some cases, the employee may seek compensation for loss of income, damages and the position the person was fired from. If the employer fails to come to an agreement out of court, the attorney may represent the employee when taking the case to court.