If you’re an employee who has been facing sexual harassment on the job, you certainly know how problematic it can be. You know that it’s a violation of your rights, and it’s frustrating that other people are not respecting those rights on the job.
But what you often find, if you come forward with accusations of this harassment, is that the other party will make excuses or try to cover up what actually happened. Let’s look at two ways that this could occur.
Turning to gaslighting
Gaslighting is the process of making someone else think that their own perceptions of the world are inaccurate. For instance, the person may simply lie and say that they don’t remember the event or the accusations you’re making. They’ll try to turn things around and ask you why you’re making things up and what you have against them. The reality, of course, is that they do remember the incident in question. They’re just trying to gaslight you so that you will drop the case.
Claiming it was a joke
Even in situations where people admit that they remember what happened, they will often say that you’re just not thinking about it the right way. For instance, they may claim that the whole thing was a joke. They may even claim that you laughed or that they thought you felt like it was funny. But remember that even jokes can be sexual harassment.
What steps should you take?
You do have rights as an employee and you did not deserve to experience sexual harassment on the job. If you have been, make sure you know what legal steps to take.