Essay on Sexual Harassment and Employer Liability

Introduction Organizations have an obligation to create a harassment free environment for its employees. Harassment doesn’t have to be of a sexual nature. An organization is liable if the harassment is so frequent or severe that it creates a hostile or offensive work environment or when it results in adverse employment actions such as the victim being fired, demoted, or transferred. Harassing a person based on their sex is illegal. Sexual harassment has a great impact on an employee’s productivity as well as poses a major impact on an organization’s finances in litigation. Productivity is the cornerstone of any organizations profitability. This means that any organization can be deemed productive if all its moving parts are working†¦show more content†¦Additionally, if the abuse is not reported, the employer may not be liable for the harassment. Anyone can be a victim. In most cases, women are the victims. Men, lesbians, and gays are victims as well. It doesn’t matter the sex. Many victims are ashamed or feel that they will be retaliated against to come forward to report sexual harassment against them. Fear of embarrassment and humiliation can also prevent a victim from coming forward. A common reaction from a victim is to suppress their feelings and ignore the abuse. There are many consequences to violators of workplace sexual harassment laws. It is up to the employer to exercise due care that their employees are not harassed. Sexual harassment has an impact on employers as well as its employees. When harassed workers lose concentration, when it interferes with their judgment, when they are difficult to motivate or tend to be late or absent, employers incur significant losses. In these circumstances, productivity may decrease, team work be jeopardized, and the risk of workplace accidents increase. Ultimately, employers may lose valuable workers, while others may be dissuaded from applying for vacancies. Employers who fail to prevent sexual harassment may also face the financial costs of sick pay for employees who become ill, and legal bills from court actions brought against them. It is the duty of the employer to ensure that the workplace is free from sexualShow MoreRelated Sexual Harassment in the Workplace Essays1615 Words   |  7 Pagescase. There has been a great increase in sexual harassment lawsuits and claims in the workplace since the Anita Hill and Clarence Thomas controversy in 1991. Sexual harassment is any unwanted and offensive sexual advances or sexually derogatory or discriminatory remarks. The law currently recognizes two types of sexual harassment in the workplace. Quid pro quo harassment and hostile environment harassment. Hostile environment involves making unwanted sexual advances or other verbal or physicalRead MoreThe Law For A Sexual Harassment Lawsuit1692 Words   |  7 Pages3. 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