The Law Office of Jim Zadeh has represented victims of sex harassment for 15 years. We have come across many common issues. One of these is that when a person is sexually harassed they don't tell anybody; not their co-workers, not their spouse, not their best friend; and not their employer. The harassment incident or incidents keeps intensifying in their head and their state of mind is finally at the point where they must confide in someone. That is when they call us for guidance. From the beginning of our conversations, it is made clear that they need to inform their employer of the harassment. By law, if your employer is not aware of the harassment, then they don’t have to correct the problem. What most people desire is for their employer to take immediate action to stop the harassment. It is important to remember that even if the harassment is not reported after the first time it occurred, we highly recommend that the harassment be reported as soon as possible, so as not to violate company procedure on dealing with sexual harassment problems. By reporting the harassment, they are giving their company the opportunity to do the right thing by dealing with the harasser. Some people do confide in a co-worker. If you happen to be that co-worker, try to persuade the person being harassed to do the right thing and tell management/ human resources. Employers must be given the opportunity to investigate all sexual harassment claims promptly and thoroughly. If the victim who has confided in you does not want to report the harassment, then you might offer to go together to human resources and report the harassment. Reporting the harassment is a positive step in eliminating sexual harassment from the workplace and correcting a hostile work environment.
