Your Boss Just Said You Could Get A Promotion If You "Did Something Nice" For Them: Why This Is Sexual Harassment And What To Do

This situation has happened thousands of times throughout history: a boss hints to an attractive employee that they can get a promotion or a raise if they "do something" for them. Though they don't say what it is that they want, the implication is obvious. Being in this situation is frightening, but you can defend yourself by pursuing a sexual harassment case.

Quid Pro Quo Sexual Harassment Is A Troubling Situation

Being called into a boss' office and hearing them say something like "if you do something nice for me, there may be a raise in your future" can be very disconcerting. This is known as quid pro quo sexual harassment and is very illegal. However, calling them out on the situation is likely to make them deny it and try to say you exaggerated or overreacted.

Even worse, they may start acting aggressive towards you or doing whatever they can to impede your success. In some instances, people who suffer from this kind of harassment may even end up suffering from severe mental health problems that take years to overcome.

Why Sexual Harassment Is Bad For Your Mental Health

People who commit these acts may think that they are flattering the person they are harassing. Or maybe they have asked for quid pro quo sexual acts in the past and received those benefits. Whatever their reasons for behaving in this way, they are doing a lot of damage to the mental health of their employees.

Victims of sexual harassment often feel exposed or threatened by the person who made advances towards them. They also feel a lot of anxiety and may suffer from depression that makes it incredibly painful for them to go to work. This situation is even worse if the boss continues to make these advances and tries to offer you more success for sexual favors.

Proving This Kind of Case

There are a few things that you must do to prove your case and win. First of all, it is important to prove that the boss made advances towards you in this way. This step can be difficult but is not impossible. A recording of them offering you these benefits or even an email on a private email inbox can help showcase their questionable intentions. It is also important to show that acceptance of those terms would have allowed you to improve your position in your job.

All of these situations can be very difficult to prove without either a recording or a written request. As many of these requests are verbal, you may not have a recording that you can use in your case. Talk to a harassment attorney about this kind of case, and they may be able to get police to hook you up to a wire. In this way, you may be able to get your boss to repeat the offer and improve your chances of winning.

Any type of work-related harassment case is very tough to pursue. It is doubly difficult when it is sexual harassment. The plaintiff may get a lot of nasty things said about them to defame their character. As a result, a harassment attorney is an absolute necessity for getting through these often draining and complex cases. For more information and help, contact a local firm like the Law Offices of Mark A Osman. 

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