Harassment in the Workplace

Harassment in the Workplace

Most people work their entire adult life and never find that perfect job. A job that fits their personality, one they can’t wait to get up and go to in the mornings, one that pays them well, and has a fantastic atmosphere. Imagine for a moment that you found your perfect job but after a few short months something went terribly wrong. You became the victim of harassment in the workplace. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) states that “Harassment is a form of employment discrimination that violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, (ADEA), and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, (ADA) ("EEOC Home Page," n.d.).” In today’s workplace, many harassment claims are made and many are going unnoticed due to the lack of education about the subject. Employers need to educate their employees, not just the managers, about the many different types of harassment, what the warning signs are of someone who is being harassed, and how the harassment can and should be reported.

There are numerous reports of harassment in the workplace, while some are due to misunderstandings most are legit claims. The EEOC reported that in the state of Oklahoma for the fiscal year 2014 there were 1,294 charges claiming multiple types of harassment or discrimination and in the United States there were 88,778 claims. The definition of harassment is “unwelcome conduct that is based on race,color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetic information ("EEOC Home Page," n.d.).” Harassment can come from many different sources and in many different forms but the most common are sexual, racial, national origin, and religion.

Not all cases are serious enough to be considered harassment. One time instances, annoyances or offenses such as a sexist or racist joke, although inappropriate, most likely will not qualify. “Harassment becomes unlawful where 1) enduring the offensive conduct becomes a condition of continued employment, or 2) the conduct is severe or pervasive enough to create a work environment that a reasonable person would consider intimidating, hostile, or abusive ("EEOC Home Page," n.d.).” In years past harassment was, for the most part, in the form of face-to-face conversations or letters sent to the victim. But now with ever increasing technology, the statutes concerning harassment has been expanded to include any type of communication, such as emails, social networking sites, and texting ("Harassment Charges," n.d.).

There are many different types of harassment in the workplace. As mentioned above, some of the most common are sexual, racial, national origin, and religion.

Sexual harassment is defined by the EEOC as “unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical harassment of a sexual nature ("EEOC Home Page," n.d.).” According to HR hero there are two types of sexual harassment; Quid pro quo meaning this-for-that and a hostile work environment (Binford). In 2015 the EEOC reported 6,822 sexual harassment cases resulting in a monetary benefits reaching 46 million dollars ("EEOC Home Page," n.d.).

Racial harassment can include racial slurs, jokes, and derogatory remarks. Not to mention visual displays such as posters, drawings, pictures, computer screensavers. In 2015 the EEOC reported 9,286 racial harassment cases resulting in a monetary benefits reaching over 30 million dollars ("EEOC Home Page," n.d.).

Our world today has seen a lot of violence which in turn causes a lot of concern in the workplace when it comes to national origin. Law abiding citizens are being harassed and discriminated against due to their accent, ethnic background, or national origin. Finger pointing and isolating members from certain countries have become second nature for most. In 2015 the EEOC reported 9,438 national origin harassment cases resulting in a monetary benefits reaching over 37 million dollars ("EEOC Home Page," n.d.).

There are two types of religious harassment in the workplace one that requires “employees to abandon or change their religious beliefs as a condition of employment, and unwelcome and pervasive comments or behavior regarding their religion that create a hostile or abusive work environment (Williams, n.d.).” In 2015 the EEOC reported 3,502 religious based harassment cases resulting in a monetary benefits reaching over 10 million dollars ("EEOC Home Page," n.d.).

The most common sign of harassment comes from employee complaints. These complaints should ideally be in written form but will most likely be verbal. The person who is being harassed will many times complain to coworkers before gathering up enough courage to take the complaint to their superiors due to embarrassment or fear of retribution.

Another sign of harassment in the workplace would come from examining the employee’s job performance. In many cases the employee will have trouble focusing on the task at hand and does not meet deadlines or goals. They may be disorganized and have trouble with problem solving and decision making.

Behavior issue might be a sign of harassment. The employee may become more withdrawn, especially in social settings.