Basically,   sexual   harassment   means   bothering someone in a sexual way. For a person’s behavior to be considered   sexual   harassment,   it   must   meet   three criteria: 1.   Be unwelcome 2.   Be sexual in nature 3.   Occur in or impact on the work environment UNWELCOME BEHAVIOR Unwelcome   behavior   is   behavior   that   a   person doesn’t ask for and considers undesirable or offensive. Not everyone has the same perception (idea) of what is undesirable or offensive. What’s okay for some people isn’t okay for others. So,  whose  perception  should  be  used,  the  person who  is  giving  the  unwelcome  behavior  or  the  person receiving   (recipient)   the   unwelcome   behavior?   The person   receiving   the   behavior   is   being   affected; therefore, it’s the recipient’s perception that counts. If the   recipient   is   a   reasonable   person   and   not   overly sensitive,   behavior   which   the   recipient   finds unwelcome  should  be  stopped.  From  the  view  of  the recipient, this is a  reasonable personal standard  and is really no more than using common sense. BEHAVIOR WHICH IS SEXUAL IN NATURE Behavior  that  is  sexual  in  nature  is  fairly  easy  to determine.   For   example,   if   someone   tells   sexually explicit  jokes,  displays  sexually  suggestive  pictures, and talks about sex, that person’s behavior is sexual in nature. Some   people   consider   other   behaviors,   such   as touching, to be sexual in some cases but not in others. Not all touching is sexual in nature. However, touching certain parts of the body or done suggestively is sexual in   nature.   Again,   using   common   sense   is   normally enough to tell whether a certain behavior is sexual in nature. OCCUR IN OR IMPACT ON THE WORK ENVIRONMENT For sexual harassment to occur, unwelcome sexual behavior   must   occur   in   or   impact   on   the   work environment. Quid Pro Quo (This for That) When someone is offered or denied something that is   work-connected   in   return   for   submitting   to   or rejecting  unwelcome  sexual  behavior,  that  person  is being subjected to a type of sexual harassment known as quid pro quo  (“this for that”). A   person   isn’t   promoted   because   he/she   didn’t submit   to   unwelcome   sexual   behavior.   This   is   an example   of   quid   pro   quo   sexual   harassment.   Other examples include the loss of a job, a demotion, or a bad performance eval. Basically,  if  a  work-connected  decision  is  made because a person is being subjected to or has rejected unwelcome   sexual   behavior,   sexual   harassment   has occurred.  Normally,  this  is  from  a  senior  to  a  junior, because the senior person can offer something. Hostile Environment If   unwelcome   sexual   behavior   of   one   or   more persons in a workplace interferes with another person’s work   performance,   sexual   harassment   has   occurred. Now,   suppose   the   behavior   makes   the   workplace offensive,  intimidating,  or  abusive  to  another  person, whether or not work performance is affected. This type of sexual harassment is called hostile environment. The following   are   examples   of   a   person’s   behavior   that could create a hostile environment: · Use  of  sexually  explicit  or  sexually  offensive language. · Display sexually oriented posters or calendars of nude or partially clad individuals. · Touch someone in a suggestive manner (that is, intentionally   brushing   against   or   pinching   a person). · Give someone unwelcome letters, cards, or gifts of a personal nature that have sexual overtones. · Give unwanted or uninvited pressure for dates. Some  types  of  unwelcome  sexual  behavior  don’t have   to   create   a   hostile   environment   to   be   sexual harassment.   If   a   person   fondles   or   gropes   another person  in  the  workplace,  the  behavior  is  considered sexual harassment. This behavior is considered sexual 1-20 Student Notes: