Is the federal work sphere an inviting environment for those seeking to forge careers in government positions?
That depends. Answers will certainly vary.
And relevant statistical data indicate that such variance will materially depend upon gender.
Consider this: Reportedly, and as noted by government researchers from the U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board, more than one-fifth of women employed in federal workplaces say that they were victims of sexual harassment within a recent two-year period.
That is a staggering piece of information. When extrapolated meaningfully, it underscores this: Millions of female federal workers confront a hostile work environment marked by sexual misconduct.
That troubling news is coupled by an equally troubling reaction to that unlawful behavior. The above-cited MSPB report states that the response of more than 60% of those abused individuals was to simply take actions that helped them avoid their harassers.
Understandably, that is not a recipe for the curtailment of bad and endangering behavior. Indeed, an avoidance response empowers workplace wrongdoers and perpetuates their illegal conduct.
The reasons that only about 11% of harassment victims reportedly take formal action (an administrative response, sometimes followed by a lawsuit) are several and varied. One legal source spotlighting sexual harassment in the federal work sphere notes that fundamentally “getting justice can be a slow and frustrating process.” Administrative challenges are onerous and time-consuming. Government resources for probing misconduct are often stretched thin. Victims fear workplace reprisal.
For those and other reasons, federal employees who suffer work-linked harassment or discrimination might reasonably turn without delay to a proven and empathetic employment law legal team for help. Experienced and aggressive advocacy can promote accountability, deter future misconduct and often secure a remedy for clients that is marked by maximum compensation.