Monday, August 24, 2015

Wrongfully Terminated After Being Sexually Harassed By Female Manager

Aug. 24, 2015

Dear Cathy:

I am a former HUD employee and I was terminated.  In the termination letter it alleged that I was terminated because of a test I did not take.  There is supporting documentation that this test was not a condition of employment nor was I required to take the test.  It is believed that this is simply a ploy to release a male employee who would not respond to the sexual advances of the Executive Director, which is a female. 

She would hostilely address me in front of employees in inappropriate verbal manners.  She made displayed conduct of a sexual nature in private and in front of other Housing Authority Staff.  In an effort to keep my job and in the hopes of having a diplomatic working environment, I would always respectfully decline her advances.  When I dismissed the multiple sexual advances, the Executive Director, became noticeably the oppressor and created a hostile working environment.

For sake of speed I will be brief because my 180 days before filing are just about up.  I feel like I am almost a victim of a conspiracy -- as a former employee of a HUD agency.  I am about to take everything to EEOC, media outlets, newspapers and HUD.  I want to know how to properly approach the EEOC and if you have a preferred contact. Hurting in Mississippi

Dear Hurting in Mississippi:

It’s unfortunate but no I do not have any preferred contacts.  The Housing and Urban Development (HUD.gov) is just another dysfunctional governmental agency and my heart goes out to you.  I know exactly what you are up against because I have been there and done that.

During my tenure with the federal government, I worked for HUD.gov for 18 months and ended up filing 10 EEOC.gov workplace complaints against the U.S. Customs Service (now called "Customs and Border Protection") along with a Sexual Harassment and Whistleblower Complaint.  So I am very well-versed in federal workplace abuse/discrimination.

Sexual Harassment laws are no different than EEOC.gov laws especially in federal workplaces.  They were put in these federal workplaces to protect employees like yourself -- so it’s your right to file a lawsuit against your agency if you feel you were violated -- or wrongfully terminated.

There are several things you need to have in place at this time especially before you go to the media.  Now is the time to work with my attorney on your case, especially a media attorney -- if you plan on going to the media. 

What you need to know upfront is that the EEOC.gov is NEVER on the side of the employee -- so no matter what you take to them, it will probably be useless because federal managers or supervisors can come up with just about any reason to fire an employee.  It’s wrong and illegal but they do it all the time and get away with it. 

Since you are already fired -- then nothing is stopping you from going to the media but again try to work with an media attorney to file your lawsuit and to have by your side in the media.

Go on Google.com, Yahoo.com and even YouTube.com, which are the largest search websites on the web, and put in HUD.gov and see what types of cases there have been in the past against your agency.  Put in the words Sexual Harassment, Class-Actions, Discrimination, etc. and even the violator’s name.  Have this happened to other employees who worked for your agency? 

Remember you only need 4 employees to file a class-action and class-actions are always stronger than individual complaints because they change laws, rules and regulations in many workplaces because they bring major media attention.  Also because of this research, you should be able to find attorneys who have dealt with these types of cases with your agency – so conduct thorough research.

Many people will laugh at you and find it funny that a man was fired because of being sexually harassed by a women but don’t let that deter you from receiving justice.  And unless you have some type of proof that this sexual harassment was taking place such as documents or internal emails, texts, recordings, pictures, witness statements, your case will be hard to prove.   

And remember many federal complainants are never successful in these types of cases, only a small percentage, but using the media will be a good ploy to receive justice -- so I applaud you for going that route.

Federal government managers are not smart and chances are they have left a trail of evidence for you to use in your case so you need to be ready -- and don’t miss any of your EEOC deadlines because they will use that against you.

The goal is to know when it’s time to stop fighting to save your sanity especially when dealing with federal government abuse.  Make sure you are eating a good diet, get some exercise and plenty of rest to prepare for the long-haul because justice in the federal government venue, will not be overnight.  It's a long process.

Maybe you should be putting all your energy in writing a book about what happened, which will be very therapeutic, or maybe you should form your own seminars, workshops, webinars and coaching sessions to help others -- now that you went through this terrible ordeal.

Remember that people who go through challenges -- go on to build beautiful lives so again...you are now in a position to empower others.  You already have your own platform so don’t let what happened to you 'break your spirit.'  Use all the knowledge that you obtain to keep building a life of passion, compassion and empowerment. 

You need to learn everything you can on the federal workplace because others are waiting for you to empower them.  I am no longer counseling anyone on workplace abuse or discrimination because of what’s happening today in most workplaces -- which is too disheartening -- and that’s why I wrote three books on it -- so my advice is for you to read my 3 books on workplace abuse -- Workplace Survival Guide: How To Fight Discrimination, Whistleblowing and the Workers’ Compensation System and Discrimination 101: The Complete Guide to Recognizing and Surviving Discrimination in the Workplace (Volume 1 & Volume 2) – which might give you some ideas of how to fight back.  Also check out my “Workplace Blog” at http://cathyharris-workplace.blogspot.com

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