Sexual Harassment Essay

Sexual harassment is one of the biggest issues that a business may encounter. When you have different types of people working together, it is important to make an ethical and moral work environment that is safe for everyone. Sexual harassment is a form of discrimination that violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Sexual harassment is defined by the EEOC, as any unwanted sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature, to another employee, against his or her wishes. These types of advances could not only cost your company money but can also harm your company’s image. Prevention is the best tool to eliminate sexual harassment in the workplace. It’s the company’s responsibility to make sure their employees are aware of the effects of sexual harassment and policies that prohibit this harassment.

In a telephone poll conducted by Louis Harris and Associates on 782 workers, revealed that as many as 31% of the female workers claimed to have been harassed at work and 7% of the male workers claimed to have been harassed at work. Many of the workers took no action at all. Also, of those workers polled 100% of women claimed the harasser was a man 59% and of men claimed the harasser was a woman. According to the EEOC website, there are approximately 15,000 sexual harassment cases are brought to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission each year. The harasser can be the employee's supervisor, manager, or coworker. Any individual, who is connected to the employee's work environment, can be accused of sexual harassment.

There are many different types of sexual harassment examples. These examples include:

• Inappropriate jokes or gestures

•Asking coworkers for dates or un...

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...e is a complaint made, there should be no retaliation against the employee for filing a complaint. The employer must, treat the employee who filed the complaint no differently than other employees are treated. It is very important that your company knows how to handle any complaints made by employees and that your employees know what to expect if they make a complaint.

Sexual harassment can be avoided if your company takes action from the very beginning. If your company has a distinct policy, a strong training program, and a clear process of what may happen if there is a sexual harassment claim, it can keep your company out of the clear from unwanted law suits. It will also make an ethical and stable work environment for all employees and their superiors. These tools can help make sure you and your employees are free to work in a safe and non-hostile environment.