Sexual Harassment

I just need a 150 word response to Rebeccas post

Rebecca Thompson

According to our text, a case has reached the level of sexual harassment when it involves a plaintiff who has been promised benefits or threatened with loss if she does not give sexual favors to an employment supervisor (Pagnattaro; Cahoy; Magid; & Shedd, 2022). When the supervisor began sending texts that were not work related and mentioned how she could get a raise if she went on dates with him, it reached the level of sexual harassment. Also, a quid pro quo.

A hostile work environment exists when a co-worker makes offensive sexual comments or propositions, engage in suggestive touching, show nude pictures, or draw sexual graffiti (Pagnattaro; Cahoy; Magid; & Shedd, 2022). The supervisor touched her rear end and made a comment about her being his best hire yet. This has now created a hostile work environment.

If an incident regarding an employee has to be reported to an employer more than once, that is an issue. At no point should sexual harassment be tolerated, and it should be dealt with promptly and swiftly the first time. There should be no opportunity for the employee to sexually harass anyone more than once. And if it does happen more than once, the employer should then be held accountable too.

Works Cited

Pagnattaro, M. A., Cahoy, D. R., Magid, J. M., & Shedd, P. J. (2022). The legal and regulatory environment of business (19th ed.). McGraw Hill LLC.

This is what we originally wrote about:
As your company’s director of human relations, you have to deal with Susan’s complaint about her supervisor. Soon after she was hired, Susan received text messages from her supervisor that said “You are the prettiest girl in the office” and “3 Dates=1 Raise.” The text messages made Susan uncomfortable, and she did not respond to them hoping that her supervisor would “just take the hint” and leave her alone. However, today this supervisor hugged Susan, patted her rear end, and said: “The way you look in that outfit, it’s clear that you’re my best hire yet.” Susan immediately pushed him away and has now reported the incident to you.

At what point do comments rise to the level of sexual harassment?

When does a hostile work environment exist?

How much should the law tolerate before holding the employer responsible for the actions of employees that are sexually harassing other employees?

ANSWER

Sexual Harassment Reply

Hello Thompson

According to the International Labor Office. Sexual harassment within the workplace occurs in two situations. The first occurs when a quid pro quo exists, whereby the victim is promised certain job benefits if they engage in some form of sexual behavior. The second form of sexual harassment exists when the employee is subjected to a humiliating and hostile working environment through persistent sexual advancements from superior employers (Siuta & Bergman, 2019). In your case, Susan was indeed subject to both forms of sexual harassment, and she is within her rights to seek help and report the matter. Such harassment situations opt to be treated with seriousness and promptly. Employees should be given a safe working environment, and such environments are enhanced when organizations take harassment matters seriously. Organizations should also teach their supervisors and other senior managers about the implications of their actions. Potential sexual harassment offenders should be warned with stern consequences, and any incident should directly result in the termination of the offender.

References

Siuta, R. L., & Bergman, M. E. (2019). Sexual harassment in the workplace. In Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Business and Management.