HR Basics: Sexual Harassment

HR Basics is a series of short courses, designed to highlight what you need to know about a particular human resource management topic. In today’s HR Basics, we explore how to prevent and correct sexual harassment in the workplace. Sexual harassment is a form of unlawful sex discrimination that can occur in a variety of circumstances. 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 is illegal. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act (Title VII) prohibits harassment of an employee based on race, color, sex, religion, or national origin. Harassment violates federal law if it involves discriminatory treatment. Employers should develop strategies for preventing and correcting sexual harassment in the workplace. Whatever form it takes, prevention is the best tool to eliminate sexual harassment, and it must be a priority for the employer to step in to stop it when it happens. Taking steps to eliminate sexual harassment in the workplace promotes a healthy and productive work environment, and helps defend an employer against liability of unlawful harassment. Prevention is the best tool to eliminate sexual harassment in the workplace. Swift corrective action restores a positive work environment when harassment occurs.