You must prove that you were harassed day after day and this caused you mental anguish and put you in a position where you were unable to perform your job duties as expected.
A Florida bartender was awarded $70,000 in compensation, following a federal lawsuit against her employer whom she accused of sexual harassment. The restaurant’s manager would often comment on her breasts and buttocks, urging her to wear more revealing outfits. One day, the guy followed her into a cooler where he rubbed his groin against her behind causing her to drop a case of beer. The 38-year old bartender quit her job after only 5 days. So far it’s hardly an extraordinary case, such behaviors are common, after all. What is extraordinary is that this woman did not resign herself to her fate, she fought back and filed a complaint against her former manager. This is what you should do, too. If you have problems with your boss or your coworkers, get in touch with some good Florida sexual harassment lawyers and let them help you.
The bartender’s case is a clear example of quid pro quo, a type of sexual harassment prohibited by the Florida Civil Rights Act. Quid pro quo cases refer to those situations where a supervisor or manager asks for sexual favors as a condition to get a raise or a promotion, or indeed, to keep your job. If that’s what you’re dealing with, you need to talk to a Tampa sexual harassment lawyers or an attorney in your area. There’s no point in putting up with it telling yourself they will stop harassing you. As long as they have power over you, they won’t.
The definition of sexual harassment in the workplace also includes what’s called a hostile work environment and this has to do with the behavior of your coworkers. If one or more of your coworkers frequently make sexist jokes or comments about your physical appearance, to the point that you’re afraid to be in the same room as them, that’s an example of a hostile environment and you should contact an employment lawyer as soon as possible. In order to successfully argue you were subjected to a hostile environment you need to show that this unwanted and inappropriate behavior was of a pervasive nature. To put it simply, you must prove that you were harassed day after day and this caused you mental anguish and put you in a position where you were unable to perform your job duties as expected.
The offensive behavior doesn’t have to be directed against you specifically. If you can prove that your workplace was permeated by sexually explicit language and your workmates frequently made derogatory comments about women in general, that amounts to a hostile environment as well.
When you reach out to reliable sexual harassment lawyers, they can help you take the matter to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, if the employer ignores your internal complaint. They can also help you put an estimate on the compensation you deserve for all you’ve been through. For instance, the bartender mentioned above was awarded $50,000 in damages, plus backpay and her attorney’s fees.
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