Be aware that when you report harassment or discrimination

 

 

Employees might not be aware that when they report harassment or discrimination, they are protected against workplace retaliation.

If a worker complains about discrimination, harassment, or company wrongdoing, they're subsequently protected under federal and state legislation from retaliation.  By Way of Example, if an employee complained to their manager, human resources department, or a state or national agency stating that they had been harassed as a result of the race, and so were demoted shortly afterward

That is a form of retaliation.

What Constitutes Retaliation?

Retaliation can take many forms and it does not need to be as evident as a demotion.  Retaliation can take the kind of any adverse job actions.  It could be as subtle as altering the employes hours moving their workspace to an undesirable site.  For example, an employer might have allowed the employee to adjust their work hours to accommodate their childcare schedule.  Following a complaint of discrimination, in the event, the employer subsequently informs the worker that they can't adjust their schedule, that could be a form of retaliation.

AOC oversees All of the maintenance and operations of their buildings and property that include Capitol Hill, including the House of Representatives, the Senate, the Library of Congress, along with the U.S. Capitol.  The request for an investigation was made after learning of alleged sexual harassment experienced by AOs overnight custodial employees.

The report studied AOC sexual harassment cases from October 2008 during October 2018.  Throughout this time, there were 57 episodes of sexual harassment identified, including 24 managers.  Approximately half of the complaints were verified, but no lawmakers or dates of harassment were named in the investigation.

According to a Los Angeles sexual harassment lawyer, Congress members had sexually harassed them, cleaning the offices.   Most lawmakers spend the night at their offices because they have extra rooms and frequently keep mattresses inside their closets or sleep on futons.  Therefore, they are occasionally present, rather than necessarily fully dressed, while AOC employees are cleaning.

More DetailsConfidential questionnaires were used to gain data from AOC workers, and one maintained that particular Congress members exhibited volatility, bad tempers, and threatened violence.  When these behaviors were described by workers, their concerns weren't addressed by AOC executives.  Particular agency authorities wouldn't cooperate with the probe, for instance, Human Capital Management Division.  Given that, OIG wasn't able to completely explore a number of these complaints. The report also mentioned that Capitol Police, agency staffers, and even tourists at The Capitol Visitors Center were harassing other people.  It also showed that sexual harassment prevention training was not granted priority by AOC, because the workers didn't have advice for tackling the harassment.

An Imbalance of Power

Although Congress updated its sexual assault policies this past year, this focused on protecting interns and subordinates from high-ranking aides and lawmakers.  In 2017 and 2018, both the House and Senate took measures to improve how harassment was managed for Capitol Hill staff members.  Imbalance of electricity was used to describe when a Congress member harassed a staff member or intern.  This discrepancy is considered to be even broader when the harassment happens in the middle of the evening.

Managing the Complaints

Both employees and management revealed that they didn't trust the complaint handling procedure, they called confusing and complex.  Some are managed via the Diversity, Inclusion and Dispute Resolution Office (DIDR), although this office isn't totally independent.  If there are to be disciplinary actions, then AOs general counselor will step in.  There are different avenues, including the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights, but the workers are unaware when AOC has a very clear policy for this.