Despite what most people believe, sexist workplaces still exist in 2022. Many people in modern work environments still believe that women and men have different skills. That is why each gender is concentrated in different professional fields.
For instance, women dominate care-related areas while men lean more towards science, technology, and engineering.
What is Workplace Sexism?
Workplace sexism, also employment sexism, refers to the discrimination against an individual, in their place of work, based on their gender. The practice often arises due to the beliefs surrounding women’s and men’s roles in society.
Sexism can have a lot of negative impacts in the workplace. For instance, a sexist work environment can be less efficient than a less sexist workplace. That’s because individuals who are more qualified for a particular role might be directed to the wrong positions. In other cases, sexism can negatively impact employees’ mental health and performance.
Sexist practices can be categorized as sexual harassment if it becomes frequent and normalized in the workplace. Most modern organizations have taken steps to create a diversified workforce. However, gender stereotyping and unconscious bias still exists. If you experience workplace discrimination or harassment because of your gender, you might want to hire an HKM sexual harassment attorney.
But, before you follow the legal route, consider these steps as a response to sexual harassment in the workplace.
How to Respond to Sexual Harassment in the Workplace
Seek Explanation
Before you seek a harassment lawyer, it is crucial to give the other individual chance to explain themselves. Sometimes, someone might make a sexist remark without the intention to harm anyone. Others might not even realize they have said anything inappropriate. So, it is essential to confront them about it in a friendly way before you proceed to the next course of action.
Take the Issue to the HR Department
If talking to the individual does not help sort out the issue, it may be time to bring it to the HR department. Every modern organization has a human resource management department to handle such cases. The HR department will investigate the harassment allegations and take the right measure to ensure they do not occur again. Ideally, this course of action will solve the issues and everything will go back to normal.
However, that is not always the case. In some cases, the HR department might treat the issue lightly, especially if the assailant is high ranking individual in the company. If you find yourself in such a situation, you might have to take the case to the next level.
Hire a Sexual Harassment Lawyer
Hiring a sexual harassment lawyer is the last resort after all the other options do not pay off. The primary role of the lawyer is to help you understand your rights. There are plenty of benefits of hiring a sexual harassment lawyer to help you sort out the issue. For starters, your assailant would take you seriously if you hire an attorney. A lawyer would also show you the right course of action to ensure you get compensated for the harm done to you.
