What to Expect When You File A Sexual Harassment Complaint

With the increasing awareness of sexual harassment in workplaces, many companies have implemented anti-sexual harassment policies for the safety of women. Many companies even organize formal training programs to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace. Most companies suggest their employees contact their manager or HR if encountered with any such incident. 

However, it would help if you keep in mind that companies will think about their interest before yours. Even though sexual harassment is illegal and offensive, companies try to suppress the issue by sidelining your issues. They will do anything to avoid a potential lawsuit as it may affect their reputation in the market. You have to be the smart one here and think for yourself. Get in touch with a sexual harassment lawyer and file a complaint against the company to get maximum claims in the court trial. This article will acknowledge you with the steps to follow before filing a complaint and what to expect after that.

Considerations Before Filing A Complaint About Sexual Harassment Against Your Company:

• You must be sure about the fact that your situation meets the definition of sexual harassment and violation of work ethics or not.

• Recall if you have experienced sexual harassment once or multiple times. This will help you to frame a strong case against the company.

• See if you are willing to risk your job to stop the offensive behaviour you encounter in the workplace. You may claim to kick out the person responsible for the offence and continue to work again. You can also file a lawsuit, get your claim settlement, quit the job and get a new one. 

What To Expect After Filing A Complaint

If you have already made the considerations and filed a complaint against your company, then the next appropriate thing would be to look for the top sexual harassment lawyers and proceed with the case. They will guide you with safety protocols and steps to safeguard your career. You can expect a few of these things after filing your complaint:

• You have to look for any witnesses or other victims to stand up against the company. More the number of witnesses, the higher the chances of getting your claims and winning the case. If you know any person who witnessed the situation but is afraid to confess for his job security, then contact your lawyer. Your lawyer may persuade the person to act as your witness. 

• If possible, try to contact the harasser in private and secretly make a video recording of the conversation with the help of your lawyer. Try to make him confess his offensive behaviour and use it in the trial as evidence to win the case easily and effectively. A little bit of trickery is fair enough compared to the behaviour committed by the harasser. 

• After the meeting, make an official document with every detail of the harassment starting from the day of the incident, when and where it happened, names of the witnesses, statement and signature of witnesses if possible, and records of statements of the harasser in a single file. Keep the file confidential until your court trial. This will help you or your lawyer to hold a strong argument and convince the judge in your favour quickly.

• You should not act politely and professionally after filing the complaint. If you hire an employment law lawyer, they will suggest not to say something polite or nice. Your company will take that as your weakness and use persuasive skills to settle down the situation. If you say something like, ‘I never wanted to sue the company, but the person, then you will face serious consequences and may lose the case. So, consult your lawyer and follow his/her advice.

• The best solution after filing a complaint is to hire a professional lawyer who has years of expertise in the field of employment law. You can search online for the best employment lawyers in Perth and choose the one that best fits your budget and needs. Your attorney will act responsibly on your behalf and represent you in court, and argue to get maximum claim settlement. Consulting a lawyer before submitting any form of documentation or evidence of the situation to the HR or company will be in your best interest. 

• If the company wants to protect its reputation, then it will try to persuade you to withdraw the complaint. For that reason, the company will listen to your harassment case and perform a necessary investigation and interview the accused harasser to know the truth. The company might voluntarily ask for witnesses from other employees. If proven guilty, then the company will terminate him and try to pay you a fair compensation and apology letter. This may not happen in all organizations.

So, the best decision after filing a complaint against your company will be to contact a professional lawyer. You must follow the advice and steps guided by your lawyer to get the best results.