Harassment

You should not have to suffer through slurs, improper jokes, or graphic images because of your race, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, sexual orientation, or veteran or military status.

Harassment conduct is not just inappropriate comments. Harassing conduct can also include:

• Verbal harassment – i.e., epithets, derogatory comments or slurs, inappropriate or abusive statements or comments
• Physical harassment – i.e., assault, impeding or blocking movement, or any physical interference with normal work or movement
• Visual forms of harassment – i.e., derogatory posters, cartoons, or drawings
• Engaging in any other verbal or non-verbal behavior of an offensive, derogatory, inappropriate or abusive nature because of a person’s race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age (40 and over), military and veteran status, sexual orientation, engaging in a protected activity (such as opposing prohibited discrimination or participating in the complaint and investigation process) or any other basis prohibited by law
• Interfering with work performance or creating an offensive or intimidating working environment
• Engaging in unwelcome flirtation, requesting sexual favors, making sexual advances or propositions, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature
• Displaying sexually suggestive, sexually explicit, or offensive pictures, greeting cards, books, drawings, photographs, magazines, websites, cartoons, or objects
• Circulating e-mail, jokes, or other material that reasonably could be viewed as offensive
• Conditioning a person’s employment, evaluation, wages, advancement, assigned duties, or any other condition of employment upon his or her submission to, or tolerance of, sexual advances or derogatory, inappropriate, or abusive conduct.

Sexual Harassment

If you are being sexually harassed at work, your ability to perform your job is seriously undermined and it takes a toll on you and all aspects of your life. Sexual harassment in the workplace does not have to be motivated by sexual interest or wanting to have a sexual relationship with the victim.

Sexual harassment is harassing conduct that motivated by the victim’s sex or gender identification. Male, female, and gender nonconforming individuals all may be victims of workplace sexual harassment. Harassment can also happen between members of the same sex.

The two main types of workplace sexual harassment are:

• Quid pro quo harassment: Quid pro quo (Latin for “something for something”) harassment occurs when a supervisor or manager demands sexual favors as a condition of employment or another workplace advancement. Quid pro quo is considered illegal harassment even if the demand for sexual favors was only implied.
• Hostile work environment harassment: It is illegal when an employer creates or knowingly allows the existence of a hostile or offensive work environment. The hostile work environment generally must be persistent or pervasive and would be considered offensive to a reasonable person in your position.