Throughout California, many workers suffer unfair treatment from their colleagues or employers. This can take many forms and occur for many reasons, but often this mistreatment is rooted in some form of discrimination. A particularly common variety of this is discrimination based on gender or sexuality. Employees find themselves being targeted with unwanted sexual advances, lewd or inappropriate comments, or even condescending remarks based on their gender.
None of these things are acceptable and it is important to be able to recognize the signs of sexual harassment in your place of work. If you feel that you are being unfairly treated by the people you work with, then you have the right to take action against them. While it can be difficult to talk about harassment or to report it to the relevant authorities, there are many support networks available to assist and guide you.
It is also vital to remember that sexual harassment is not limited to unwanted touching or requests for sexual favors. It can also include leering, physical obstruction, and suggestive or derogatory comments. It may even extend to exclusion from events or projects and attempts to block you from promotion for reasons of gender.
If you feel that you or a colleague are experiencing discrimination at work, reporting it to your superior, human resources or another relevant authority figure should be the first step. You may also benefit from some of the advice on our page on sexual harassment. An attorney might also be able to support you if you decide to take legal action against those responsible for your mistreatment.