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Every day you go to work in San Francisco Bay and receive comments and jokes about your appearance and personality. You may even notice that some of your coworkers and managers’ behaviors leave you feeling a little uncomfortable and wondering if you are experiencing sexual harassment. While it is easy to recognize the blatant signs of sexual harassment, it is often harder to identify the less obvious ones.
Coercion and sexist behavior
If you receive offers for favorable work treatment and promotions in exchange for sexual favors, dates and sexist conversations, then that is known as quid pro quo. Some workers and supervisors may even go as far as threatening your job stability, pay and hours to get you to comply with their advances. Your appearance, sex, sexual preference, relationship and anything that is not work related are personal matters that should not be used against you and affect the way you are treated at work.
Innocent flirting
Some forms of flirting and conversation may seem harmless in nature even though they include offensive and sexist language. Many women mistake compliments about their appearance from male coworkers and gestures as okay. They may experience these actions so much that the sexually harassing behavior has become the norm at their workplaces. If you are on the receiving end of these behaviors, you should document all incidents and report them to an upper-level supervisor and human resource representative.
All forms of sexual harassment are illegal. You should discourage all offenders by telling them no and that that behavior is not acceptable to you. You should also report all incidents to upper-level supervisors to protect your rights.