You may not be able to control what human resources does after you report. Human resources have a legal obligation to act on certain types of claims, such as sexual harassment, even if you ask them not to. Companies and their human resources departments differ in how they investigate and assess a claim of misconduct, harassment and discrimination and fashion a response. An investigation may include interviewing other people in the company about what happened. The human resources employee you speak with might have a different perspective than you do. They may not agree that what happened constitutes harassment, or they may feel the behaviour is more concerning than you think it is.
Additional considerations about reporting to your employer You may be allowed to have someone with you for support if you report in person Your report may go in your personnel file Human resources should keep your report confidential to the extent possible, however, it cannot promise absolute confidentiality It may benefit you if you make your report within a certain period of time after the harassment or inappropriate conduct happens.
There are a variety of reasons for this, including how it will be perceived in court If you need legal advice about the situation or are not comfortable with your employer’s response, you can contact Rights of Women who maybe be able to offer a free consultation through its network. Additional Resources for Harassment at Work Below are descriptions of alternative reporting options or resources provided by third-party organisations. Also, if you are a member of a guild, professional association or trade union, you can ask them to support you in this process and find out if they will act as a trusted intermediary on your behalf.
Where victims may want to remain anonymous, a trusted intermediary can help to bring a complaint to the attention of employers, especially where they become aware of multiple complaints about the same individual.
Gov.uk website on Workplace Bullying & Harassment www.gov.uk/workplace-bullying-and-harassment NHS Choices Live Well - Bullying at Work www.nhs.uk/Livewell/workplacehealth/Pages/bullyingatwork.aspx MIND www.mind.org.uk BBC Respect at Work Review www.bbc.co.uk/corporate2/insidethebbc/howwework/reports/respectatwork.html BECTU Respect at Work www.bectu.org.uk/news/2775 Film and TV Charity Support Line www.filmtvcharity.org.uk/we-can-help/support-line/ Your Right to Report Sexual Misconduct and Harassment 19