It is probably safe to assume that every boss in America knows you can’t fire someone for reporting sexual harassment. But every now and then the news reports on an alleged incident in which an employer forgets that very important fact. A woman in North Carolina was fired from her job as a waitress after she reported that a manager groped her while she was on the job.
She reported that her manager came up from behind her and grasped her buttocks. She then reported the incident to the general manager. A few days later she met with the general manager, the manager who groped her, a human resources representative and the owner of the franchise company.
She was told that because she had just started her job, none of the managers believed her. They also pointed out that they had never before received any sexual harassment complaints against this particular manager. They then terminated her at the end of the meeting.
There are laws that prohibit retaliation. Retaliation is when your employer takes recriminatory action against you for filing a complaint. There are protections for whistleblowers to sexual harassment victims and many other workers who choose to report unlawful behavior.
If you believe that you were the victim of sexual harassment, then you may want to consult with an employment attorney. You have rights as an employee to be in a safe work environment. This means you have a right to be able to safely report sexual harassment. And you have a right to a full and fair investigation into the incident. These are serious claims because you have serious rights.
Source: WBTV, “Restaurant worker fired after reporting sexual harassment,” Nick Oschner, Jan. 7, 2016
