There is NO EXCUSE for Sexual Harassment in the 21st Century!

No employee should have to endure being subjected to sexual harassment in order to earn a living! NO, NO, NO!

In fiscal 2018, the EEOC recovered almost $70 million for sexual harassment complaints, up from $47.5 million in fiscal year 2017. Sexual harassment remains a persistent problem in the workplace that does not seem to slow down.

A few days ago, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) sued a couple of companies for violating federal law when they subjected a female employee to flagrant sexual harassment and retaliated against her for complaining to the EEOC.

According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, a female employee was repeatedly subjected to unwelcome and offensive sexual advances, including unwanted sexual touching, and repeated, unwelcome requests to engage in a romantic relationship with the companies’ owner. Despite complaints to the owner and another manager, the harassment continued, and the company fired the female employee in retaliation for her complaints, the EEOC charges.

If you would like to learn more about Sexual Harassment Prevention and earn continuing education credits towards your SHRM or HRCI certification please join me at one of my upcoming 2-Day Sexual Harassment Prevention Certificate Programs.

If you would like to learn more about our other certificate programs and earn continuing education credits towards your SHRM or HRCI certification please join me at any one of my upcoming Certificate Program Trainings.

If you would like to learn more about our SHRM-CP®, SHRM-SCP®, aPHR™, PHR®, SPHR® Exam Prep Courses and Boot Camps please check out our upcoming Exam Prep Trainings and check out our Student Testimonials and Success Stories.

Such alleged conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits employment discrimination based on sex, including sexual harassment. Title VII also prohibits employers from retaliating against an employee because she opposed discrimination or harassment. 

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.

Prevention is the best tool to eliminate sexual harassment in the workplace. Employers are encouraged to take steps necessary to prevent sexual harassment from occurring. They should clearly communicate to employees that sexual harassment will not be tolerated. They can do so by providing sexual harassment training to their employees and by establishing an effective complaint or grievance process and taking immediate and appropriate action when an employee complains.

Sexual harassment is unacceptable but unfortunately is very real in the workplace.

Elga Lejarza-Penn, aPHR, PHR, SPHR, SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP

If you would like to learn more about Sexual Harassment Prevention and earn continuing education credits towards your SHRM or HRCI certification please join me at one of my upcoming 2-Day Sexual Harassment Prevention Certificate Programs.

If you would like to learn more about our other certificate programs and earn continuing education credits towards your SHRM or HRCI certification please join me at any one of my upcoming Certificate Program Trainings.

If you would like to learn more about our SHRM-CP®, SHRM-SCP®, aPHR™, PHR®, SPHR® Exam Prep Courses and Boot Camps please check out our upcoming Exam Prep Trainings and check out our Student Testimonials and Success Stories.