1964 is when the Civil Rights Act first guarded against workplace harassment in Ohio and throughout the nation. When you go to work, you have the right to reasonably expect that your employer has met his or her obligations to keep you as safe as possible on the job and to prevent a hostile work environment that places you at risk for injury through harassment.
Workplace harassment violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. If someone is singling you out because of your religion, age, appearance, ethnicity, race, age or gender, and bullying you or otherwise treating you in a prejudiced or harmful way, you can take steps to bring the matter to your employer’s attention. If the employer is the culprit, it helps to know how to tap into local legal resources for support.
Defining the term
Not all unpleasant behavior on the job would constitute legal harassment. Just because you don’t get along with a co-worker or manager doesn’t mean they are harassing you. However, unwelcome behavior addressed toward you because of your personal background or in retaliation for something you have done (like filing a whistleblower report) may indeed be grounds for filing a harassment complaint.
Recognize the behavior
No one should touch you in a way that makes you feel uncomfortable in the workplace. Also, you may also bring quid pro quo concerns to the appropriate officials’ attention. This is when an employer promises you a raise or a promotion in exchange for sexual favors.
No incentive, bonus, wage increase or other added benefit at work should come with a price tag that compromises you as a person. It’s easy to become anxious and worried about your future when such circumstances arise but always good to remember that you don’t have to sit back and do nothing. There are several ways to approach such problems.
Take action to end unlawful actions
Some Ohio workers panic when they realize they are the subject of harassment. Some misguidedly think that, if they just stay quiet and ignore it all, it will eventually stop. This is almost never the way situations like this unfold, however. You have a right to a peaceful work environment that does not affront you or cause you economic or personal injury. By gathering evidence, documenting each incident and telling those necessary, you may be able to get things back on track sooner, rather than later.