Businesses are realizing that sexual harassment is not only a crime, but an expensive lesson that can result in a big monetary loss to their pocketbooks. Companies have a responsibility to safeguard employees from any sexual inappropriateness by coworkers or supervisors; many more women are starting to take legal action against their aggressors and winning financial compensation for the unwanted advances. Small businesses are expected to abide by and follow the law regarding sexual harassment policies just the same as larger corporations; it is the company’s duty to implement policies or a training program that teaches their employees that sexual harassment is not tolerated and how to handle it if it occurs. A sexual harassment lawyer in Orange County can help determine if your case warrants a lawsuit; contact an office for a consultation.
When a victim comes forward, the complaint should always be taken seriously. Many women allege that their complaints to their superiors go unresolved and the abuse is allowed to continue. Recently, a woman from Texas complained about this very situation; the former employee of Hobson Air Conditioning made charges against her boss who she claimed sexually harassed her on the job with rude comments, sexual suggestions, and exposed himself to her on numerous occasions. She went to upper management to express her outrage at the inappropriate behavior and expected the abuse to stop, but her claims were rebuffed and no action was taken against her aggressor. The behavior continued until she felt forced to resign from her position at the company. If you feel your job is in jeopardy due to sexual harassment, contact a sexual harassment lawyer in Orange County.
The company has not admitted any wrong doing, but has been ordered to pay the woman a substantial settlement and must adhere to specific guidelines aimed at curbing further sexual harassment situations; Weatherford must implement a channel for victims of sexual harassment to come forward and report any inappropriate incidents and must also provide annual training classes for five years to all its employees.
Hobson Air Conditioning is a small family run business which at the time employed only one female at its Kennedale facility; many businesses with a majority of only men or women may not feel the need to implement such strict protocols regarding sexual harassment, but all companies must adopt a zero tolerance policy towards the illegal behavior. Men and women tend to view harassing comments or actions differently, for both sexes to coexist in one workspace, it is imperative to have a common consensus and training so misunderstandings do not occur.
Victims of sexual harassment may not always feel comfortable coming forward, but by doing so they often feel better about themselves by standing up and speaking about their experiences. When aggressors are allowed to continue with inappropriate behavior, the whole workplace suffers. If sexual harassment is an issue in your place of employment, contact a sexual harassment lawyer in Orange County.