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Understanding Anti-Sexual Harassment Policies

Sexual harassment is a form of sex discrimination. According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 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. ¹

Sexual harassment can occur in a variety of circumstances, including but not limited to the following:

• The victim as well as the harasser may be a woman or a man. 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.

Preventing Sexual Harassment

Prevention is the best tool to eliminate sexual harassment in the workplace. Employers are encouraged to take necessary steps to prevent sexual harassment from occurring by clearly communicating to employees that sexual harassment will not be tolerated and by distributing relevant information. They can also work to establish an effective complaint or grievance process and taking immediate and appropriate action when an employee complains. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission lists several ways employers can prevent sexual harassment.

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