Sexual Harassment Policy

The legal definition of sexual harassment includes sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature in the following situations:

• Direct or implied requests by a supervisor for sexual favors in exchange for actual or promised job benefits
• Unwelcome sexual advances (whether they involve touching or not)
• Sexual epithets, jokes, written or oral references to sexual conduct; gossip regarding one’s sex life; comments on an individual’s body, comments about an individual’s sexual activity, deficiencies, or prowess
• Displaying sexually suggestive objects, pictures, or cartoons
• Unwelcome leering, whistling, brushing against the body, sexual gestures, suggestive or insulting comments
• Inquiries into one’s sexual experiences and discussion of one’s sexual activities
• Requests for sexual favors
  
  
  

                       Facts About Sexual Harassment

Sexual harassment is a form of sex discrimination that violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Title VII applies to employers with 15 or more employees, including state and local governments. It also applies to employment agencies and to labor organizations, as well as to the federal government. Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature constitute sexual harassment when 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.

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 coworker, 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.

It is helpful for the victim to inform the harasser directly that the conduct is unwelcome and must stop.

The victim should use any employer complaint mechanism or grievance system available. When investigating allegations of sexual harassment, EEOC looks at the whole record: the circumstances, such as the nature of the sexual advances, and the context in which the alleged incidents occurred. A determination on the allegations is made from the facts on a case­-by-­case basis.

Prevention is the best tool to eliminate sexual harassment in the workplace. Employers are encouraged to take steps necessary to prevent sexual harassment from occurring. They should clearly communicate to employees that sexual harassment will not be tolerated. They can do so by providing sexual harassment training to their employees, by establishing an effective complaint or grievance process, and by taking immediate and appropriate action when an employee complains.

It is also unlawful to retaliate against an individual for opposing employment practices that discriminate based on sex or for filing a discrimination charge, testifying, or participating in any way in an investigation, proceeding, or litigation under Title VII.