Hello and welcome to LegalEase. Today, I want to talk about how to make a report of harassment or discrimination to your HR department. This topic is so important because we often receive calls from potential clients saying, “I reported to HR,” but they make so many mistakes along the way that it makes it difficult for us to even help them.

So, let’s first talk about the “Do’s”.

• Do make the report in writing.
• Do use the right words, meaning, you have to say harassment or discrimination.
• Do talk about the type of discrimination. You must tie the harassment or discrimination to a protected class. Is it based on race, gender, disability, etc.? What is the reason or the bases for the harassment or discrimination?
• Do make a concise statement. Please make sure that it’s concise.
• Do keep a record of all your communication and evidence that you believe supports your claim of harassment or discrimination.
• Do follow up in an email after all verbal conversations with HR. Often people say, “I talked to HR in the hallway” or “I went to the HR office” but there is no record. Follow up in an email and confirm everything you talked about verbally.
• Do find a lawyer. Find a lawyer, people!

Let’s discuss the “Don’ts.”  

• Do not write a long, vague, general statement to human resources.
• Do not include every minor thing that has happened to you. It takes away from the credibility of your complaint.
• Do not forget to keep all your records.
• Do not proceed without a lawyer.

Okay, I hope this was helpful. Thank you so much for joining LegalEase. You can always contact us for assistance. Our link is in the bio, and you can schedule a consultation through our website. Thank you.