Understanding the Importance of Sexual Harrassment Cases: Faragher v. Boca Raton and Burlington Industries v. Ellerth.

These cases were sexual harrassment cases but the law applies across the board. An employer has a duty to make employees aware of policies and procedures for reporting harrassment (or discrimination). It's not enough for the employer just to have policies, they must also make sure the policies are enforced. You, as the employee, have a duty to report the problem to supervisors and/or HR. You aren't going to get very far with the EEOC if you didn't make your employer aware of the problem and if you failed to provide your employer the opportunity to correct the problem. Read more about these cases and their application here