This document provides an overview of harassment training. It defines illegal harassment as unwelcome conduct based on protected personal characteristics like race, sex, or disability that creates a hostile work environment. There are two types of harassment: quid pro quo, where employment decisions are tied to sexual favors, and hostile environment, involving unwelcome sexual or offensive behaviors. Conduct must be both subjectively and objectively abusive to constitute harassment. The training instructs employees to avoid inappropriate behaviors, report any instances of harassment, and know the organization's anti-harassment policy. Supervisors are responsible for addressing complaints and preventing a hostile work environment.

1. Harassment Training

2. Protected Personal Characteristics
In Employment
Race
Color
Creed
Religion
National Origin
Age
Sex/Pregnancy
Sexual Orientation
Gender Identity
Physical Disability
Mental Disability
Retaliation

3. Harassment Overview

4. What is harassment ?

5. Definition of Illegal Harassment

6. Types of Harassment
Quid Pro Quo
&
Hostile Environment

7. When employment
decisions or
expectations are
based on an
employee’s
willingness to grant
or deny sexual
favors or willingness
to submit to
unwelcome
behavior.
2
1
Quid Pro Quo
“This for that”

8. Examples of Quid Pro Quo:

9. Hostile Environment

10. Behaviors that can be unwelcome
and/or sexual in nature

11. Same-Sex Sexual Harassment
The U.S. Supreme
Court ruled that samesex sexual harassment
is a form of sex
discrimination under
Title VII of the Civil
Rights Act of 1964.

12. Behaviors that are NOT Sexual
Harassment

13. Behaviors that are NOT Sexual
Harassment
Welcomed and NOT sexual in nature
Voluntary lunch or
dinner dates –
asking a coworker
to have lunch or
dinner
Appropriate
compliments –
telling a person that
his or her outfit is
nice
Acts of courtesy –
opening the door for
someone

14. Unwelcomeness
In order to be
“unwelcome”
the conduct
must be both:
Actually offensive to the
victim and
Not solicited or invited by the
victim
If the conduct is welcomed, then: The conduct cannot
be considered when deciding if there was an abusive
environment.

15. Unwelcomeness
In order to be “unwelcome” the
conduct must be both:
Actually offensive to the victim and
Not solicited or invited by the victim
If the conduct is welcomed, then: The conduct cannot be
considered when deciding if there was an abusive
environment.

16. Unwelcomeness
Evidence that the victim found the
conduct unwelcome includes:
The victim told the harasser to stop.
The victim moved away when the
behavior occurred or looked away from
the harasser when the joke was told.
The victim met the joke with a
prolonged stony silence.

17. Unwelcomeness

18. Unwelcomeness

19. Abusiveness
The
requirement of
an abusive job
environment is
broken into
three parts:
Subjectively
abusive
Objectively
abusive
Part of the
job
environment

20. Abusiveness
A job environment is subjectively abusive if the Complainant
actually believes it is abusive.

21. Abusiveness
A job environment is objectively abusive if a reasonable person
would find the environment abusive.

22. Abusiveness
Frequency & Severity of the harassment are
the most important factors. They add together to
make how bad the environment is. If it is bad
enough it is “abusive”.
As the severity goes up
the frequency needed
goes down.

23. Is it Harassment?
When in doubt about the appropriateness of
particular behavior consider the following:
• Would I behave this same way if my mother or child were
standing next to me?

24. Is it Harassment?
When in doubt about the appropriateness of
particular behavior consider the following:
• Would I behave this same way if my mother or child were
standing next to me?
• Would I want my behavior to be the subject of a report on
the evening news?

25. Is it Harassment?
When in doubt about the appropriateness of
particular behavior consider the following:
• Would I behave this same way if my mother or child were
standing next to me?
• Would I want my behavior to be the subject of a report on
the evening news?
• Would I want to describe my behavior in court in front of a
judge or jury?

26. What is the Employee’s
Responsibility?
Understand
• Know company policy and the law
• Adhere to policy and the law
• Be careful
Be Watchful
• Pay attention to coworkers- avoid inadvertent offense
• Look for subtle forms of harassment
• Report any instances
Be active
• Confront Harassers directly, if you are comfortable doing so
• If confrontation fails, file a grievance
• Document ALL instances- detail Detail DETAIL!

27. What can You do?
Practical Advice for Employees
Be courteous
• Pleasantries are always allowed
• Remember, jokes that end with “If they weren’t watermelons, what were they?”
aren’t funny to everyone.
• Reference the Golden Rule
Think!
• Don’t tweak “brittle” people for sport
• Try to avoid loaded words; you’re intelligent enough to express displeasure without
the “F” word
• Ask yourself (or others): Am I offending anyone?
Be Professional
• Keep your personal life personal, and your work life professional
• Treat other employees, above and below you, with respect

28. Employee Responsibilities
and the public
Employees who deal directly with
customers, the public or with
personnel from other
organizations, must always ensure
that their own behavior is
acceptable. They are also strongly
encouraged to report incidents of
unwelcome behavior by others.
You do not have to tolerate
unwelcome behavior by the
public, but like everyone else, you
must act responsibly when dealing
with unwelcome conduct.

29. Supervisors and Employees
DO’S

30. REVIEW
Definition of sexual and general harassment
Types of harassment
You and your organization’s responsibility
The organization’s policy
What to do when harassment occurs
Liability

31. Any Questions?

32. THANK
YOU