12.10.08
Information From The EEOC
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.
The victim as well as the harasser may be a man or a woman. The victim does not have to be of the opposite sex.
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.
Unlawful sexual harassment may occur without economic injury to or discharge of the victim.
The harasser’s conduct must be unwelcome.
It is helpful for the victim to directly inform the harasser that the conduct is unwelcome and must stop. The victim should try to use an employee grievance or complaint mechanism if available.
When investigating an allegation of sexual harassment, the EEOC will look at the whole record: the nature of the sexual advances, and the context under which the alleged incidents occurred, before a determination on the allegations from the facts are made.
Prevention is always the best tool to eliminate workplace sexual harassment.
This information was referenced from the EEOC. For more detailed information go to eeoc.gov/
