Managers must take ALL types of harassment complaints seriously
July 22, 2009 by Sam NarisiPosted in: Employment law, In this week's e-newsletter, Latest News & Views
Not all sexual harassment claims are alike. But managers need to take them seriously, even if they don’t fit the expected pattern.
That’s what one construction firm learned recently after settling a sexual harassment suit brought by a male employee.
The employee claimed his male supervisor subjected him to a constant barrage of obscene comments, sexual innuendo, propositions and implied physical threats.
When he brought the conduct to attention of upper management, he was allegedly told, “This is a construction site; this kind of thing goes on all the time.”
With help from the EEOC, the employee sued. The company agreed to settle for an undisclosed amount.
The lesson: Managers need to take all harassment complaints seriously, no matter what the genders of the accuser and the accused.
Cite: EEOC v. Haydon Brothers Contracting, Inc.
Tags: complaints, eeoc, same-sex harassment
July 27th, 2009 at 1:03 pm
This is a “no-brainer”. Whether the harassment comes from same-sex, male to female or female to male there should be no difference in the way it is perceived or addressed.
I wonder if by addressing the situations differently the company might then opens itself up to scrutiny for gender or sexual orientation discrimination.
July 27th, 2009 at 2:11 pm
We often makes excuses for employees behavior based on the type of work setting their in. What is it going to take? Someone getting hurt, before it stops?
July 28th, 2009 at 10:09 am
My husband works construction and there is a definite difference between “joking around” and harrassment. I think this sort of thing is often ignored in this type of setting. No one should be subjected to harrassing remarks no matter where they work or what type of job they do.