It’s clear that sexual harassment happens in the workplace, and it’s a serious issue. In recent years, a lot more of these cases and allegations have made the news, and that’s brought some light to just how often it happens.
One important thing to note, though, is that a lot of the victims never report it. In fact, some reports claim that most victims never say anything, so all of the cases you see in the news are less than half of the incidents that are really taking place.
Will anything really be done?
One major reason that people do not speak up is that they doubt anything will come of it. Is anyone really going to take action against an employer, a supervisor or a coworker? Or are people just going to brush it aside, act like it’s no big deal or even blame the victim? They don’t trust that positive steps will be taken, so they won’t risk making a report.
Similarly, a lot of workers fear job loss or even being blackballed in their industry. They do not want to put their career in jeopardy. They know that what happened was wrong, they know that it was illegal, but they don’t want to lose their job over it. Plus, if they don’t think anything will really be done, they’ll feel like they lost their job for nothing.
The law is on your side
You don’t have to feel this way. You do have legal options, and retaliation is illegal after you make a report. Know what steps to take when faced with these sorts of serious issues.