If you are sexually harassed at your place of work, you may feel as though you have no choice but to accept it. Especially depending on your position in the workplace and the position of your harasser, you may be worried that taking action against your harasser will only result in you being fired or reprimanded. The truth is that you do not have to tolerate sexual harassment at all. Not only are there federal laws on your side, but there are Californian laws on your side as well.
This article lists some of the options that you have if you are suffering from sexual harassment in the workplace. Of course the first action listed is to speak up; most sexual harassers are very careful when it comes to their harassment because they know the legal ramifications. As such, they only harass you when you are alone or they feel that others will not know about it. As frightening as it may be, it is up to you to alert your coworkers and even authorities about the harassment.
It may be tempting to just call the authorities and try to hold your employer responsible for your mistreatment, but you must remember that in many cases, your employer does not know you are being harassed. Most places of work have procedures in place to handle sexual harassment issues, and you should pursue those avenues first. However, in some cases your harasser is your boss or someone important enough for the company to defend.
If you have exhausted the avenues of sexual harassment defense within your company and there is no relief in sight, that is when you should seek legal options to make a claim. The right legal representation can help make the process of filing a sexual harassment claim easier and can be the difference between a successful claim and an unsuccessful claim.