Anti-discrimination, pay equity, disability rights, and many more laws have been passed with the goal of ensuring that the workplace is an accessible and safe environment for everyone who wants to work, regardless of their circumstances. In keeping with this new tradition, most people can easily identify blatant acts of sexual harassment. Unfortunately, instances of sexual harassment still occur. And worse, sometimes there is an attempt on behalf of the employer to make the victim pay the price for simply trying to maintain his or her rights.
Recently in North Carolina, a woman working as a waitress was terminated from her position after reporting an alleged act of sexual harassment to her superiors. The woman stated that one of her supervisors grasped her behind during her shift. She informed the supervisor that it was unacceptable and later reported it to his immediate boss.
She was later invited to a meeting with the alleged offender along with his boss, the owner of the franchising company, and a representative from Human Resources.
Reportedly, the owner told her that this was the first complaint against this particular individual. He also said that, because she was only a month into the job, he did not believe her. He then promptly fired her.
Although this happened in another state, such incidents can occur anywhere. There are laws that protect workers from sexual harassment as well as from retaliation for reporting such unlawful behavior.
If you believe you have been the victim of sexual harassment, you might want to speak to an attorney. You are entitled to feel safe at work; everyone is entitled to that right.
WBTV, “Restaurant worker fired after reporting sexual harassment,” Nick Oschner, Jan. 7, 2016