That’s a common situation even though most companies have policies that prevent or make clear that the company is not supposed to tolerate sexual harassment.
People in that situation have a couple of options. They can make a formal complaint with the help of a lawyer. It is definitely advisable to get an experienced sexual harassment lawyer involved as soon as possible because once the allegations hit, it’s really the function and purpose of the human resources organization to circle the wagons around the company and take steps to address what they believe is the inevitable lawsuit.
It’s imperative that victims in that situation reach out to legal counsel as soon as they are in a position where they feel like they can no longer tolerate the harassment.
For example, you could make a formal complaint to human resources, but there may be reasons to do that faster or slower. You’ll want the harassment lawyer to get involved and evaluate any objective evidence there is to support the claim right away. If you, as a subordinate, are being harassed by the CEO of the organization, as your lawyers, we’d want to research if the CEO has a history of harassment with other employees. Often, we find that’s the case. Usually, people who harass have done it before and are often harassing other people at the same time.
So, if you can gather that kind of information early in the process with the help of a lawyer, you will be better situated to make a formal complaint of sexual harassment and it will increase your chances of a successful recovery if it leads to a lawsuit.
If you are having an issue with your employer and would like to speak with an experienced employment lawyer, please give us a call at (626) 441-4129 for a free consultation.