Sexual Harrassment In The Workplace
Essay by 24 • July 13, 2011 • 1,574 Words (7 Pages) • 1,426 Views
What is sexual harassment? Sexual harassment is a form of sexual discrimination
that violates the rights of an individual. Prevention is the best tool to eliminate sexual
harassment in the workplace. Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual nature
constitutes sexual harassment when the conduct explicitly or implicitly affects the
individual’s employment, unreasonably interferes with an individual’s work performance,
or creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive environment. Although power is central
to a supervisor’s harassment is subordinate; it is wrong, it is against the law, and
individuals should not have to deal with it. It puts the individual in an uncompromising
situation and that individual feel defined.
Despite the widespread publicity about the perils of sexual harassment, surveys
demonstrate that many businesses operating in the United States have yet to address the
problem. Moreover, recent news reports indicate that sexual harassment has reached the
high-test level of management. Although businesses know it exists, they appear unsure
what to do about it. As a result, the specter of employer liability for sexual harassment
continues to loom over the workplace.
A manager/supervisor in a higher position may see the need to sexually harass an
for many different reasons. One, an employee may have the same credentialing as the
manager and he/she may see that as a threat to them and their job. This can make the
employee feels shallow and very unimportant. The manager may have an unprofessional
attraction to the employee and feel that they can approach the employee without him/her
saying anything, because they hold a higher position.
Power is also another reason why one may be sexually harassed in the work place
by a manager, by one who holds a higher position, or by another employee or individual.
Some individuals use power as a weapon or tool to get one to do what he/she wants them
to do. Power can also be used as a threat as well. The harasser may want one to do
things that are not related to one’s job duties. This may create a problem and may make
the situation even worse.
This is a small list that I have created of examples of sexual harassment situations:
• A supervisor implies to an employee that the employee must sleep with him to keep a job.
• A sales clerk makes demeaning comments about female customers to his coworkers.
• An office manager in a law firm is made uncomfortable by lawyers who regularly tell sexually explicit jokes.
• A cashier at a store pinches and fondles a coworker against her will.
• A secretary's coworkers belittle her and refer to her by sexist or demeaning terms.
• Several employees post sexually explicit jokes on an office intranet bulletin board.
• An employee sends emails to coworkers that contain sexually explicit language and jokes.
There are many different conducts of sexual harassment. There is verbal, visual
or physical sexual natures that may be considered sexual harassment. This is
incorporated by unwelcome behavior this is sever or persuasive. Verbal comments can
be about your clothing, personal body comments, or sex-based jokes. Physical
harassment is assault, inappropriate touching of a person’s clothing, kissing, hugging,
patting or stroking. Visual harassment can be posters, drawings, pictures, screensavers,
or emails of sexual nature. All of which are wrong and not tolerated.
In this picture the one guy on the left (boss) is fed up with the guy on the right making inappropriate comments to the young lady. The guy is denying it. The other guy in the brown pants is apologizing to her, but in an inappropriate tone trying to console her with negative and inappropriate words.
Another issue concerning hostile environment cases is whether a victim may only
recover for sexual harassment aimed at the victim, or whether he/she may cite examples
of sex-based conduct directed at other employees to establish his/her case. A number of
courts have held that incidents involving employees other than the victim are relevant in
establishing a generally hostile work environment.
The percentage of sexual harassment in the workplace is higher than one would
imagine. Even though the male to female ratio is much higher there are still female on
male harassments that take place in the work place. Males are victims of sexual
harassment as well. 57% of females are harassed in the workplace and 43% of males are
harassed
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