Preventing Harassment

Quid Pro Quo Sexual Harassment

Asking an employee, directly or indirectly, to submit to a sexual advance in exchange for some benefit at work.

• A person feels that employment decisions depend on whether he or she submits to or rejects the conduct.

Hostile Work Environment Harassment

• Pervasive sexual or gender-based activity or comments
• Verbal or physical conduct that denigrates or shows hostility or aversion toward an individual because of that person's (or that person's relatives', friends', or associates') race, skin color, religion, gender, national origin, age, disability or other protected class

To be considered harassment under the law, the conduct must:

• Interfere with a person's work performance;
• Create an intimidating, hostile, or offensive environment;
• Otherwise adversely affect employment opportunities.

Crude, boorish, or intimidating behavior is not harassment unless it is related to sex, race, religion; employers are not liable for hiring annoying louts, only for tolerating bigoted ones.
KIPLINGER FORECASTS.COM, HUMAN RESOURCES ADVISOR, JULY 12, 2001

Sexual conduct is not harassment if it is consensual, welcome or invited.