The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is a federal agency that regulates various employment laws. Under the EEOC harassment against certain protected classes is illegal in the workplace. However, sometimes people disregard these laws. When employees experience harassment in the workplace, they oftentimes do not report the incident, especially when the harasser is a person high up in the company. There are various reasons that an employee may choose to keep quiet about their experience. Read on for more information and speak with a trusted Atlanta sexual harassment attorney to discuss your situation.

What Types of Workplace Harassment Exist?

Though there are many laws making harassment illegal in the workplace, unfortunately, it is still a common occurrence. You may be experiencing harassment and don’t even realize it. Any unwelcome behavior that makes you feel uncomfortable may be categorized as harassment if it is based on race, religion, sex, age, disability, etc. If you have experienced any of the following you may be the victim of workplace harassment.

• Offensive jokes
• Physical touching
• Insults
• Slurs
• Pressure for dates
• Pressure for sexual favors
• Intimidation
• Threats
• Ridicule

Why Do Employees Not File Harassment Reports?

The reasons why some employees don’t file a report when they experience harassment vary depending on the person.

1. Fear of retaliation. The employee may fear the repercussions of making a report whether from the person they are reporting or other figures of authority. Some people are penalized for making such a report even though retaliation is illegal. They could be demoted, fired, given an unfair or undesirable schedule, etc.
2. They aren’t aware of their rights. Harassment is illegal in the workplace and companies often have their own policies in addition to federal laws. The employee may not be aware that they have the right to take action against the harasser.
3. They do not think anyone will believe them. It is an unfortunate fact that oftentimes victims of harassment are dismissed and not believed. If an employee thinks they will not be taken seriously then they may choose to avoid the situation entirely.
4. They do not trust their employers. Lack of trust in the system and their supervisors is a major reason that some people fail to report harassment. They might think that it will get swept under the rug and not addressed.
5. They aren’t sure they have a case. If an employee isn’t sure if their experience constitutes harassment they may not file a report. They may believe that the harassment has to be much more aggressive or obvious for them to have a case, when in reality that is not true.
6. They are embarrassed. While no one should be embarrassed for being the victim of harassment, it is a natural human emotion. It can be emotionally difficult and uncomfortable to explain the situation so some people will choose to avoid the embarrassment and endure the harassment.
7. They hope it will stop on its own. Some employees may choose to ignore the harassment with the hope that the perpetrator will stop their behavior. Unfortunately, without being reprimanded this is rarely the case.