Sexual harassment in the workplace has taken a dramatic leap into public awareness. Most feel that a joke or comment shared between coworkers is not sexual harassment, but to those who do not share the humor, it is. That is where much of the problems are coming from; people not agreeing on what is and is not sexual harassment Many people every year experience sexual harassment and do nothing about the problem. Is this because they are unaware of how to address their problem? Will our Justice system try to elevate this growing problem in the workplace?.
We as humans know that it is wrong for our employer to ask us to engage in sexual contact with clients or customers. More interestingly enough, your employer will be legally responsible if they create or allow a situation where customers or visitors harass you. Did you know that the mere show of hostility toward another gender is sexual harassment even though there are no sexual overtures? .
What is Sexual harassment?.
"Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature constitutes sexual harassment when submission to or rejection of this conduct explicitly or implicitly affects an individual's employment, unreasonably interferes with an individual's work performance or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment" (Nancy Wyatt, 2002, http://www.de.psu.edu/harassment).
How do you know it was sexual harassment?.
Sexual harassment can occur in a variety of circumstances, including but not limited to the following: The victim as well as the harasser may be a woman or a man. The victim does not have to be of the opposite sex. The Supreme Court decided unanimously ruling that same sex complaints are covered by the law. The harasser can be the victim's supervisor, an agent of the employer, a supervisor in another area, a co-worker, or a non-employee. The victim does not have to be the person harassed but could be anyone affected by the offensive conduct.