When do you need to talk to Missouri sexual harassment lawyers

If someone tries to break into your house, you call the police and ask for help. Yet, when someone harasses you on a regular basis, what do you do? It might you surprise you, but most victims don’t do anything. It is estimated that 70% of sexual harassment in the workplace cases go unreported. Even in Missouri where the rights of the employees are fully protected under the Human Rights Act, many victims are afraid to ask for help. In most cases, they are afraid of the consequences, like being fired or demoted, but another reason is that people often feel afraid of engaging in such a battle on their own. You don’t have to fight alone, when you can always reach out to Missouri sexual harassment lawyers who dedicate their lives to helping the victims of sex-based discrimination in any form. 

In this day and age, all employers should have clear anti-discrimination policies in place, as well as a procedure to file a complaint. Many businesses understand the need to implement anti-discrimination policies, even if they don’t always do it for the sake of their employees, but to protect themselves against any liability. Still, others choose to ignore the problem, and an employee in a difficult situation doesn’t know who to turn to. 

When you reach out to a lawyer, they will advise you to start by doing the obvious thing. Just say No. If someone is harassing you verbally or physically, you need to let them know that you that you find their sexual advances unwelcome and want them to stop. In some cases, it might work, but there’s no guarantee.

The next step is to file a complaint with your employer, obviously, assuming it’s not they who are pestering you with sexual innuendos. Even if it is someone from the management, you should still try to file a complaint with the Human Resources department. The law prohibits retaliation on such grounds. If they do such a thing, your chosen employment lawyers will be most glad to hear of it, as this is a serious thing and can totally be used in a federal complaint or in a court of law. If your grievances fall on deaf ears and your employer doesn’t take any steps to put an end to the sexual harassment, you are entitled to file a formal complaint with the Missouri Human Rights Commission or with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Your attorney will advise you on how to formulate your complaint and what sorts of proof to include.

These agencies can mediate the dispute or they may decide to file a lawsuit on your behalf. Either way, you have the right to receive damages for your suffering. If you were fired for refusing to submit to such treatment, sexual harassment lawyers can help you win economic damages consisting of the lost wages, as well as punitive damages for the stress and mental suffering you had to put up with.