One of the most challenging situations to deal with is working in an environment where people keep making unsolicited sexual advances at you. Addressing such an issue can be difficult especially if you are afraid of losing a source of income. They become even trickier when the person harassing you is your boss. Whether you are a man or a woman, you deserve to work in a safe environment and have the right to say no to anyone’s sexual advances when you aren’t interested. Here are some tips to help you figure out if you need the services of a sexual harassment attorney in Springfield, MA.
For a case to be classified as sexual harassment, there are certain things that have to be considered. For instance:
* It is not mandatory for the person accused of harassment to have made any physical contact of a sexual kind with the employee.
* Verbal comments that are insulting and related to the sex of the complainant are enough ground for filing for sexual harassment.
* There is not limitation to the sex of the victim or the harasser. For instance, a female boss making advances to a junior male employee is still considered harassment. Similarly, a male employee getting advances from a male boss is also considered harassment.
* The harasser doesn’t have to be the immediate employer or boss, it can be a client, customer or fellow employee.
The tough thing about sexual harassment cases is proving that what happened was completely unsolicited for and uncalled for. This is because the law does not prohibit things such as teasing or offhand sexual comments at the work place. Also, the complainant may find it hard to prove that the harassment affected her negatively especially if there was no physical contact or if the defendant didn’t result to threats or sack the complainant.
For these reasons, you will need a very competent lawyer to help you handle sexual harassment cases. The Law Office Of Michael O. Shea P.C. is one great place where you can start the search for a competent attorney to represent you in such a case.
