Sexual Harassment in the Workforce
.... 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. In order to be considered sexual harassment, the harasser’s conduct must be unwelcome. Sexual harassment is common throughout workplaces in all occupations and professions. “In 2002, the EEOC receive 14, 396 complaints about sexual harassment, and 14.9% of those complaints were filed by males (Sexual Harassment,1).” Sexual harassment law in the United States has developed over the past four decades, as sexual harassment has become more of an issue. Sexual harassment is a form of employment discrimination prohibited under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. There are two types of sexual harassment. The first is “called Quid Pro Quo which is a Latin word that means “this for that” or “something for something (Preventing Sexual Harassment, 15).” It refers to an exchange. In the case the exchange is between people where one is asked to provide sexual favors in exchange for something else. An example would be if your boss told you that you could get promoted to a higher position if you would just have sex with him. Quid Pro Quo is usually more severe and occurs less frequently than hostile work environment sexual harassment. Quid Pro Quo occurs when employment conditions are based upon whether the targeted individual is willing to grant sexual favors. Hiring, promotions, salary increases, shift or work assignments, and performance expectations are some of the working benefits that can be made conditional on sexual favors. The other type of sexual harassment is hostile work environment. A hostile environment is one in which unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature creates an intimidation, offensive, or disruptive work environment for some members of the workplace. Examples of this conduct may include sexually explicit talk or emails, graffiti, sexually provocative images, comments of physical attributes, or inappropriate touching. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s definition of sexual harassment is the one that most federal courts, including the U. S. Supreme Court, have accepted. The EEOC may become involved in a sexual harassment case if the incident cannot be resolved by a company. “When the EEOC intervenes in a sexual harassment charge, they follow a sequence of actions to deal with the case. First they file the charge. Next they serve the charge. Then they conduct a fact-finding hearing. After that they arrange a negotiated settlement. Last they issue a letter of determinati...