Hey everyone! This is Ted Ravan from Ravan Law and welcome to another Ted Talk Tuesday.
Today I’m going to be talking about what to do if you’ve been harassed or discriminated against at work and reporting those issues.
The simple answer is, Talk to the human resources department or manager. Seems simple enough, right? But what if you don’t have human resources department or anyone with HR training at your work? Who do you report to?
You need to report these complaints to your boss. If you feel safe, if not, bring a coworker you trust as a witness. Chances are that if your employer doesn’t have an HD department and they’re probably doing something wrong. And by HR or human resources department, I don’t mean giving a random person in the office that title, but having a person trained in human resources with that title in your office.
You need to document as much of the harassment as possible. Send emails, talk to witnesses and keep evidence of everything! Who you talked to, what was said, what documents you provided to HR, and ask them about a timeline for when they’ll be finished investigating the problem. When reporting these issues, you want to be able to show a pattern of harassment that was more than an isolated incident.
Remember, once is an incident, twice is a coincidence, and three times is a pattern. Try reporting harassment to your superiors or HR and follow your employer’s complaints. If HR fails you, you should speak to an experienced attorney and discuss your legal options. And of course, if you have any questions about this topic or any of the topics I’ve talked about, don’t forget to call me at (888) 6-THE-LAW.
