Everyone has the right to feel comfortable in their Florida place of business. However, many workers across all industries find themselves victims of on-the-job sexual harassment. While sexual harassment alone may lead to a toxic work environment, many victims of it also experience retaliation or termination after reporting their experiences.
According to the Mercury News, the majority, or an estimated 99.8%, of today’s sexual harassment victims never come forward and share their stories.
Retaliation and termination after sexual harassment
Of the victims that do decide to speak out about the injustices they experience at work, 68% wind up experiencing work-related retaliation after doing so. Sometimes, retaliation looks like a demotion or reduction in pay. In others, it means a worker suddenly has less favorable duties or is the subject of ongoing gossip or harassment on the job. Termination was also common after reporting sexual harassment. About 64% of sexual harassment claimants across the nation lost their jobs within a year.
Monetary awards after sexual harassment
While few victims of sexual harassment report the behavior, even fewer receive monetary compensation. Research shows that less than a quarter of those who file sexual harassment claims with the U.S. Equal Opportunity Commission ever see any type of monetary award. Those who did receive monetary awards after reporting sexual harassment at work received an average of $24,700.
It is important to recognize that these figures came about before the rise of the #metoo movement. The movement saw many women and workers across the nation come forward about their experiences and shined a spotlight on this widespread problem. Whether the #metoo movement is going to impact these numbers is not yet known.