The law recognizes two kinds of sexual harassment in the workplace,
"quid-pro-quo" and "hostile environment".
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Quid-pro-quo, Latin for "this for
that" indicates a trade. In our context, the offender offers a job benefit
in return for sex. For example, if Kate’s senior had asked her to sleep with
him in return for job confirmation, it would constitute sexual harassment, akin
to the "casting couch". This kind of sexual harassment can be
negative too. For example, "sleep with me or you're fired".
·
Hostile environment sexual harassment is a
situation in which the offender does or says things that make the employee feel
uncomfortable because of his or her sex. This kind of sexual harassment is
different from a demand for sex for a job benefit, but may create the
circumstances for it.
Sexual harassment can take various forms that may involve:
Staring, ogling or leering.
Showing unnecessary
familiarity.
Making suggestive comments or
cracking vulgar jokes.
Asking personal questions
about the victim’s private life.
Heaping sex-based insults or
taunts.
Sending sexually explicit
emails or SMS messages.
Deliberately accessing sexually
explicit Internet sites in the presence of the victim.
Displaying sexually explicit
pictures, screen savers or posters.
Proposing unwanted dates or
making requests for sex.
Inappropriate touching,
hugging or kissing.
Criminal behavior like obscene
communication, stalking, indecent exposure, molestation, and physical or
sexual assault.
For an act to constitute a sexual harassment, it should be unwelcome. Even
once is enough for it to become a sexual harassment. It must be of a sexual
nature. And it should constitute behavior that would offend, humiliate or
intimidate the victim.
However, it is good to remember that sexual harassment is different from
sexual interaction or light flirtation, which is consensual and based on mutual
attraction or friendship, and is certainly not unwelcome! For, without office
romance things may become rather dull in the workplace and gossip mills may
even grind to a halt!