Handling Workplace Sexual Harassment Complaints – 5 Best Practices to follow

The laws against sexual harassment, a form of sex discrimination, are included in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which applies to:   employers with 15 or more employees, including state and local governments,  employment agencies,   labor organizations,    the federal government.

The following types of behavior/conduct would be classified as sexual harassment

  1. Unwelcome sexual advance
  2. Requests for sexual favor
  3.  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
    • Creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive work environment.
    • The EEOC, in its description of when and how sexual harassment can occur, says that inappropriate conduct can take place in a variety of circumstances