Sexual Harassment at Indiana Workplaces

Every state in our nation has a problem with sexual harassment in the workplace. Recurring or constant hostility in the workplace creates a type of corporate culture that can destroy the traits employers seek from employees. For example, the desired teamwork among coworkers or between departments, dedication to the company, and commitment to goals can be lost when employees face hostility at work. When a harasser bullies one person, they are likely doing the same thing to several people. And they have likely been behaving this way in previous jobs. To a certain extent, every employee in a hostile workplace suffers from an environment of bullying.  But no one suffers more than the harasser’s victim(s).

If you are the undeserving victim of sexual harassment at work, or even if you have been a witness to it, you have been affected personally and professionally by the behavior. You do not have to accept the harassment, and you do not have to quit your job. Consulting online resources can help you understand your state rights, and experts can guide you through the laws that are meant to support you.

What Is Indiana Doing About It?

Like many states, Indiana has recognized the toxicity of bullying in the workplace, and sexual harassment is arguably the most common type of workplace bullying. Since 2018, the Civil Rights Law has protected workers from Aberdeen to Zionsville by prohibiting sexual harassment in Indiana workplaces. 

Indiana Civil Rights Law

The Indiana Civil Rights Law protects both public and private employees, at companies with six or more people. It describes sexual harassment as follows:

• Harassment may be physical (like unwelcome touching), verbal (like gender-based insults or lewd comments), or visual (like inappropriate images). It may be overt or subtle.
• Harassment is defined by its effect on victims, not by the harasser’s intentions.
• Harassment occurs when the response to it has an impact on a victim’s employment. In this situation, the harasser is typically a person with power or leverage in the company.
• Harassment results in a toxic and hostile workplace, where a victim is unable to perform normally at work. This includes harassment that affects employee hiring, demotions, promotions, layoffs, compensation, work assignments, work location, and so on. 

Retaliation against complaints of sexual harassment is illegal and prosecutable.

If You Have Been Sexually Harassed

Victims of sexual harassment at work suffer from not just the practical results of the harassment but also from the emotional results. You may not know whether the impact of it will go away or will plague you for the rest of your life. We all deserve to work in a place that is free of hostility, where we feel safe to do our jobs. You can fight back, and you can have support to do it. Employment lawyers who specialize in helping victims of sexual harassment in workplaces can help you figure out how to regain what the harasser has taken from you.