#MeToo in the Workplace: Why You Need a Sexual Harassment Lawyer
Our culture is shifting. The #MeToo movement, rightly so, has made sure of that. Plenty of #MeToo situations have been publicized because they involve celebrities and well-known names and faces. But what about the people who aren’t notable figures or superstars? What if you are a private citizen but you have experienced sexual harassment in your Michigan workplace? A sexual harassment lawyer is your best resource for advice, direction, and support.
Identifying Sexual Harassment in the Workplace
Sexual harassment, surprisingly enough, is not always easy to recognize. For instance, some workplace environments can be described as sexual harassment personified with offensive imagery, like vulgar cartoons or “skin” posters. While visuals are not necessarily harassment, some workplaces can be considered “hostile environments” under sexual harassment law.
If you are on the receiving end of comments about your body or sexual innuendo, in a boorish workplace or a restrained one, this is not ok, but does it constitute sexual harassment? If a coworker at your place of business speaks an ill-timed or dirty joke, this may simply be a matter of poor judgment and not a brazen and intentional act.
While many people don’t like to hear it, there is a fine line and a legal line that allows a sexual harassment lawyer to determine whether a behavior falls in the category of sexual harassment, and whether you have a case.
Sexual Harassment Lawyers Take Cases of #MeToo in the Workplace
Your sexual harassment lawyer will have many questions for you about your sexual harassment complaint. Perceive these queries as thoroughness and not an interrogation or assault on your truth. To properly represent you, your lawyer needs all the details.
Your Michigan sexual harassment lawyer may ask questions like:
- Was the conduct you were on the receiving end of genuinely unwelcome?
- Were you voluntarily engaging in any crass banter?
- What was your response to the alleged harasser?
- Did you make it known that you were offended by the person’s behavior?
- Who committed the harassment? A supervisor or a coworker?
- Was the conduct objectively offensive?
- Did you already report the harassment?
- Did this harassment occur once or on multiple occasions?
There are no right or wrong answers to these questions, there is only the truth. Your honest answers will allow you to either pursue legal action or take another course of action to ensure that you feel safe and respected in your workplace.
Stop Sexual Harassment at Your Place of Business
If you believe you have been a victim of sexual harassment in the workplace, you may be ashamed to come forward, unsure of how to defend yourself, worry about your coworkers’ response to your accusation, or even doubt whether you really were a victim of inappropriate advances. You may especially be concerned about being demoted, punished, or even losing your job.
You are not alone.
Professional consequences do sometimes happen when employees have a complaint, and there is a legal argument for you there, along with sexual harassment claims. But you are legally entitled to a workplace that is free of sexual harassment. Your sexual harassment attorney in Michigan will help you every step of the way.
Contact Thurswell Law at (248) 354-2222 if you believe you have been a victim of sexual harassment in the workplace. Learn about the steps you need to take to get justice. Schedule your consultation today.
