Anatomy of Sexual Harassment No business, CEO, or employee is immune from instances of sexual harassment. "Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature constitutes sexual harassment when submission to or rejection of this conduct explicitly or implicitly affects an individual's employment, unreasonably interferes with an individual's work performance or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment." - EEOC What is Sexual Harassment? BUT REMEMBER... "Harassment does not have to be of a sexual nature, however, and can include offensive remarks about a person's sex. For example, it is illegal to harass a woman by making offensive comments about women in general." - EEOC Sexual Harassment Examples Include: Telling "dirty" jokes, making sexual comments, engaging in sexual "banter" Making unwanted sexual advances, invitations or comments Displaying sexually oriented posters, pictures, or objects in the workplace Any unwanted groping, grabbing, patting, or touching of another employee, or interfering with an employee's ability to move Making repeated requests for a date or engaging in unwanted flirting Sending sexually explicit "jokes," stories, or pictures via email Playing sexually explicit movies, videos, or music in the workplace Hinting that an employee will receive a benefit (a raise or promotion) in return for a sexual favor Implement a comprehensive Anti-Harassment Policy Provide a multi- channel complaint procedure Provide regular anti-harassment training to all employees Best Practices to Prevent Sexual Harassment Conduct a complete and thorough investigation of employee complaints Hold all employees, including owners and executives to the same standards Do not retaliate Implement a third party employee complaint hotline Remind employees of personal consequences for engaging in sexual harassment Involve an independent third party investigator in complex complaints or those involving company owners or executives