Sexual Harassment

Sexual Harassment - Level 3

When an employee is subjected to unwanted ual advances or comments by a co-worker or an employer, we say that the employee is experiencing ual harassment. In some workplaces, ual harassment is a serious problem.
 
In its most blatant form, a boss may demand ual favours from an employee and threaten to fire the employee if she fails to comply. Similarly, the employer might promise a promotion or raise in exchange for some ual favor. Whenever an employer uses the prospect of reward or punishment as a way of obtaining ual access to an employee, ual harassment has occurred. 
This is not the only form of ual harassment. Sometimes, an employee may be subjected to demeaning comments by her employer or co-worker. For example, a boss might make vulgar comments about the physical appearance of the employee. Another example is that a co-worker might make remarks that speculate about the ual behaviour of the employee. In both of these cases, the employee is treated 
disrespectfully on the basis of her , so both cases would represent ual harassment. 
Some forms of ual harassment are more subtle. If a group of workers exchanges offensive jokes of a ual nature, in such a way that they can be easily overheard by 
other workers, then this is also a form of ual harassment. Similarly, if workers post 
pornographic pictures in their workplace, in such a way that they can be seen by other 
workers, then this also represents ual harassment. In both cases, the workplace becomes an environment in which the employee is made to feel uncomfortable because of her . 
Sexual harassment usually involves a female employee who is being bothered by a male 
employer or co-worker. In some cases, a woman might ually harass a man, or one 
person might ually harass another person of the same . However, these cases are 
not as common. Also, in some cases, the person who commits ual harassment is not 
a boss or co-worker, but a customer or a visitor to the workplace. 
Sexual harassment is a form of intimidation and abuse of power that causes much stress 
for many employees. In recent years, many steps have been taken to reduce the 
occurrence of ual harassment. Educational campaigns have been designed to teach 
people that ual harassment is wrong. Stronger penalties for ual harassment have been introduced. 
Another way to reduce the prevalence of ual harassment is to develop a culture of respect in the workplace. People need to be aware of how their jokes or comments might 
be perceived by others, and to imagine how they would feel if one of their relatives were 
subjected to ual harassment. Employers and employees must recognize that ual harassment is a serious concern and treat potential cases of ual harassment very 
seriously. Each company should have clear policies about ual harassment, and each
should establish a fair and efficient process for dealing with complaints of this kind. In 
this way, the workplace can be a comfortable environment for all persons.