Sexual Harassment in the Workplace

Sexual harassment involves unwelcome, unsolicited and unwanted sexual behavior that in the workplace that offends, humiliates, embarrasses, intimidates or otherwise causes distress to the affected employee or employees. Employers in the public and the private sector should take appropriate steps to prevent sexual harassment. To do so, employees as well as supervisors and managers need a clear understanding of their rights in the workplace. Equally important, they must be educated and learn that sexual harassment in the workplace is ethically unacceptable.

According to Mauricio Velasquez in an essay published online on the Diversity Training Group website, the sexual harassment that occurs both in the public and private sector results in tensions of a workplace disrupted by sexual harassment that can lead to violence, poor teamwork, lower productivity, absenteeism, high employee turnover, and sexual harassment lawsuits. In the public sector, the following figures can serve as a kind of a barometer for sexual harassment. In 1980, the U.S. government reportedly paid more than $189 million to settle sexual harassment lawsuits adjudicated during the previous two years.á By 1987, the total cost to the federal government reached $267 million for the previous two years.á In 1994, payments by the federal government had climbed to $327 million for the previous two years.á Sexual discrimination and sexual harassmen

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ation by an employer in the private sector is both unlawful and actionable (Pearce, 2001). One of the reasons that sexual harassment in the workplace is a unique challenge for public sector managers involves workplace rules about disciplining and terminating civil servants. Most private sector employers are at will employers, and most public sector employers are not at least to the extent that terminations are subject to specific regulations and guidelines. As a result, in the public sector employees are often entitled to the protection afforded by a personnel management program involving progressive discipline. Some of the steps in the progressive discipline process include: Clearly communicate work rules and expected performance standards. Make sure public sector employees understand these work rules and job requirement. Act promptly when unacceptable behavior or poor performance is detected. Determine the facts before taking corrective action. Allow employees the opportunity to explain his or her side of the story. Require immediate and sustained improvement, and should indicate the consequences if the employee's performance or conduct does not change. Coach and counsel the employee. Discipline the individual i
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Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1836
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page)

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