Sexual Harassment Laws
Federal and state laws exist to protect workers from the demeaning and debilitating work environment created by sexual harassment. Whether your situation involves the creation of a hostile environment created by sexual harassment of one kind or another, or demands for sexual favors in order to keep your job or obtain a promotion, a knowledgeable and experienced Cincinnati sexual harassment lawyer can help guide you to a satisfactory resolution to your problem. Illegal sexual harassment in the workplace rarely resolves itself without confronting it directly. You should not hesitate to consult attorneys experienced in sexual harassment cases in Cincinnati if you have been affected by sexual harassment in your workplace.
We are experienced in handling inquiries from any industry or employment setting. Many of our clients have been
professional employees and executives. Male and female teachers, doctors, nurses, attorneys, stockbrokers, flight attendants, and managers in small or large businesses of all kinds have sought and received our help on matters of sexual harassment.
Many people are under the misimpression that “harassment” of any kind is illegal in the workplace. That is not necessarily true, and if you feel harassed at work you should consider immediately consulting an attorney before things get out of hand or you make a mistake. Illegal harassment can take the form of harassment because of sex, race, disability, age, and certain other protected statuses, but simple “harassment” about your work in general or other issues may not be illegal. Sexual harassment, the most common form of illegal discriminatory harassment in the workplace, must be based on your sex or gender, or upon sex or gender stereotypes.
Most employers today have written policies to guard against sexual harassment in the workplace. If you are the victim of sexual harassment, it is important for you to know and to follow your employer’s policies with respect to reporting harassment. Our Cincinnati law firm often gets calls from employees who are being harassed by a coworker or a supervisor, but they have not yet reported the situation to anyone in Human Resources or any other official in the company. Our attorneys usually advise those employees to report the harassment through the proper chain of command set out in the employee handbook, on postings in the workplace or on the company’s web site, or wherever the company’s anti-harassment policy is published. In the rare instance where there is not written policy, you should report the problem to a higher supervisor whom you trust.
The law requires that employees give their employers a chance to correct the harassment by first reporting it to the proper company official. Then, it is the responsibility of the employer to investigate the problem and put an end to it. If the employer fails to appropriately address the problem and end it, then the employer may have violated the law. If you have reported sexual harassment and nothing has been done to address it, experienced attorneys should be contacted immediately.
While your situation might require litigation to resolve, you sometimes may be better served by negotiating the relocation or removal of the harassing person, or by leaving the company altogether with a fair severance agreement. The attorneys at Robert A. Klingler Co., LPA, have the experience and knowledge to guide you through the process so that you achieve the best resolution for you under the circumstances.
For more information about sexual harassment, please go to our employee rights and information center.
Do not hesitate to contact us today if you have questions about sexual harassment. Workplace sexual harassment is unacceptable, and you need an experienced Cincinnati sexual harassment lawyer to help you combat it.