When sexual harassment occurs in the workplace, employees are often worried that people will not believe them. They are concerned that it will turn into a situation where they claim that the harassment happened, and the other party simply denies it, perhaps claiming they are making up the event or not remembering it correctly.
One way to combat this issue is to gather effective evidence that supports those claims. Exactly what this looks like will be different in every case, but the following are a few types of evidence to keep in mind.
Digital evidence
To begin with, consider any types of digital evidence that you may be able to store securely offline. This could include text messages, email messages, social media messages or even pictures and videos that were shared to your phone.
Witness statements
Next, consider whether anyone else observed the interactions or saw the harassment take place. If there are witnesses who can back up your account, it makes it that much stronger. You may also want to consider interactions that were captured by workplace video cameras or security cameras.
Writing a journal
Finally, it can help to write a journal of everything that happened. Instead of just stating that sexual harassment occurred on a certain day or during a certain month, you can write out a detailed journal explaining exactly what took place, what was said or what actions occurred, complete with dates and locations.
Making your report
If you have experienced sexual harassment, it may be time to officially make your report. Be sure you know what legal steps to take as you gather evidence and move forward with your claim.