San Jose, CA - The vast majority of sexual harassment incidents in California go unreported because victims feel powerless. Everyone knows sexual harassment is wrong and also illegal since it’s a form of sex-based discrimination, but what can you do? You put up with it if you want to keep your job. The truth is you don’t have to put up with it. And you don’t have to fight alone when you can get help from some fine San Jose sexual harassment lawyers with plenty of experience in such cases. When you reach out to a lawyer, you’re no longer alone. For one thing, you find someone willing to listen to your story and someone who will believe you. However, the most important thing is that California sexual harassment lawyers can help you build a convincing case, show you how to file a complaint and be there to fight for your rights every step of the way.Why should you hire a sexual harassment lawyer in San Jose?Every victims has her story, or his story as men can also be sexually harassed, although such cases are less common. The problem is that victims don’t know if they have a legal case. This is where knowledgeable sexual harassment lawyers can help you. There are basically two types of sexual harassment. One refers to those situations when you are harassed by someone in a management position. A supervisor feels like he has infinite power over you. They can offer you a better job assignment or a pay raise, if, of course, you play nice and agree to have sex with him. Or they can very well fire you if you don’t. What do you do in such a situation?

Girl power; image by Isaiah Rustad, via Unsplash.com.

The solution is to report the incident to your employer. If it’s your boss who’s harassing you, there’s really no point in complaining with the HR or anything. Nothing’s going to happen. Your lawyers will probably advise you to file a formal complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission or with the Fair Employment and Housing Department. Keep in mind that even if you ended up having sex with the boss because you were too afraid to say no you can still claim harassment. What is hostile work environment? Another type of sexual harassment is what the law refers to as hostile work environment. The term describes those situations where you are being harassed by a coworker. The harassment can be physical, verbal, visual or a combination of all three. Physical harassment is defined as unwanted touching. An extreme case would be being forced against a wall and gropped or kissed without your consent, but other forms of touching such as a neck massage or repeated patting can also be considered harassment. Verbal harassment includes sexist jokes, lewd comments or intimate questions. As for visual harassment, this can be anything from sexually-explicit images displayed around the office to pornographic videos sent to your phone. Your sexual harassment lawyers will use those images as evidence so make sure you don’t delete them. Also, they will talk to your coworkers to find people willing to testify on your behalf. According to the law, any employee making a sexual harassment complaint or helping with an investigation is protected against retaliation so they have nothing to fear.