You choose .. Is This Harassment?

A. Because Mark is Melissa's supervisor, you have a perfect set-up for quid pro quo harassment. You need to nip this before it grows out of control. Courts hold employers strictly liable when a supervisor engages in quid pro quo harassment. Don't wait for Melissa to complain; you'd better talk to Mark today.

B. This is hostile environment harassment. Harassment of this type imposes inferior working conditions that makes it harder for an employee to perform well or remain on the job.

C. Hostile environment harassment is more difficult to pinpoint. It can take many forms and does not require any kind of exchange or condition of employment. It can be any action of a verbal or physical nature that creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive environment that interferes with an individual's work performance. It can be verbal, physical and even visual. An occurrence of hostile environment can be inappropriate touching, demeaning jokes, or suggestive images posted in the workplace.

D. EEOC officially commented that this type of behavior illustrates the continuing struggle women face in jobs traditionally held by men. This is considered a misuse of power.

E. You cannot control a chance encounter from the public. There is nothing you can do about the young man, but you can do something about Lisa. She needs support and reassurance. She may need to leave her shift and go home for the day or spend some time talking to another, trusted employee. For a period of time, she may need a change in duties where she is not required to wait on the public. Your responsibility here is to repair the damage done to Lisa and make sure your staff is trained on managing hostile or angry customers.

F. It sounds like Tom is a nice guy and may not mean any harm. Do not be fooled into thinking that as long as everyone smiles, and no one complains, it is okay. People come to work as adults and they expect and deserve to be treated as such. Referring to female staff as "girls" diminishes them and diminishes their work. Though many will not complain, especially if they like Tom, it is possible some are offended but reluctant to rock the boat with a complaint. The same is true regarding the hugs. Be sure to tell Tom how much you appreciate his outgoing personality and the 'spark' he adds to Coffee Bean but remind him to call the women staff by name just as he would the men and to please leave the hugs at home.