All workers should have the right to feel comfortable in their workplace. This means that employees should be able to work in an environment free from sexual harassment and other inappropriate behaviors. If this is not the case, a party may wish to speak to a superior about the situation in hopes of seeing improvement. However, if a harassment complaint is ignored, an individual may wish to take legal action.
A firefighter in California is currently seeking a case after she was reportedly harassed while on the job. As with many fire stations across the country, the majority of employees were male. In fact, the woman who filed the claim was the first woman to be hired with this particular station in 30 years. It was reported that she had apparently been subjected to inappropriate comments about her body from her coworkers.
It was also noted that her supervisor claimed that he was unaware of any such harassment taking place. Therefore, the female worker would need to be able to provide evidence that her supervisors were aware of the situation and that the proper steps were not taken to correct it. At this point, it has been requested that employees of that fire station save all communications in which the female worker was mentioned for use as potential evidence in her case.
Sexual harassment in the workplace is a very serious matter, and in a male-dominated workplace, female workers may be more at risk for facing such situations. By knowing how to properly handle a hostile work environment, a worker may be able to take the proper steps to improve the situation. If hostilities continue, information on filing a case in California may help workers in the state determine whether further legal action could be right for their situation.
Source: pressdemocrat.com, “Sexual harassment suit looms for Petaluma“, Emily Charrier, July 31, 2014