If a coworker puts a hand on your buttocks at the Christmas office party, that’s inappropriate, but doesn’t count as harassment. On the other hand, if they bump into you and touch your breasts every time you’re in the same room, that’s a pattern.
The Delaware Discrimination in Employment Act (DDEA) clearly prohibits sexual discrimination and sexual harassment in the workplace. According to the law, businesses with at least 50 employees must provide training and education to their personnel regarding the prevention of sexual harassment. On paper everything sounds fine, but what about your supervisor who cannot take his hands off you? Or that colleague who keeps staring at your breasts and asking you out even if you’ve said no a hundred times?
If this seems familiar to you, it’s time to look up the best Delaware sexual harassment lawyers and put an end to your suffering.
The DEEA defines sexual harassment as a conduct that includes unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, verbal of physical conduct of a sexual nature.
If your boss is in the habit of cornering you and telling you, directly or indirectly, that he’s willing to give you a raise should you be so nice as to engage in sexual acts with him, that’s a clear quid pro quo case. The same applies if you ignore the supervisor’s advances and they retaliate by assigning you the most difficult tasks. Well-versed Wilmington sexual harassment lawyers can help you put an end to it.
Another type of sexual harassment refers to the creation of a hostile work environment, and in this case it’s about your coworkers making you miserable. If sexist jokes are commonplace in the office and one or more of your colleagues use derogatory terms or comment on your looks, this qualifies as a hostile work environment.
However, you need to talk to an employment lawyer to make sure you have a strong case. To establish a hostile or intimidating work environment you need to prove there’s a pervasive conduct on the part of your coworkers. Isolated incidents, no matter how disturbing to you, are not enough in the eyes of the law. For instance, if a coworker puts a hand on your buttocks at the Christmas office party, that’s inappropriate, but doesn’t count as harassment. On the other hand, if they bump into you and touch your breasts every time you’re in the same room, that’s already a pattern and you have reason to complain. To file a successful complaint you need to show that this behavior was intimidating to the point that you were unable to complete your job duties and you were under a lot of mental stress.
If that is the case for you, don’t waste any more time and look up experienced sexual harassment lawyers. Schedule a free consultation, explain the facts and see what they think. If you haven’t talked to your supervisor will advise you to file an internal complaint in accordance with the DEEA. This is important for the outcome of a formal complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. If your employer can argue they were unaware of your situation, they cannot be held accountable for the actions of your coworkers.
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