SEXUAL HARASSMENT IN THE RESTAURANT INDUSTRY
quid pro quo (a legal term meaning “this for that”), in which a supervisor demands sexual favors from an employee and threatens to fire the employee if the conditions are not met; and
hostile environment, in which a supervisor or employee creates a work environment through verbal or physical conduct that interferes with another co-worker’s job performance or creates an intimidating work environment. A hostile environment is created when unwelcome sexual behavior is repeated. For example, an employee keeps telling off-color jokes after another staff member says they are offensive, or one employee keeps asking another employee for dates after being refused.
GENERAL RULE: An employer’s obligation with regard to sexual harassment arises before any act of harassment even occurs. As such, most lawyers practicing in this field strongly urge their employer-clients to distribute a clear and explicit sexual harassment prohibition policy and reporting procedure. Additionally, Anti-harassment training should occur on a regular basis which should educate managers and other employees as to what conduct is specifically prohibited (including a presentation of hypothetical harassment scenarios) and what to do if the employee believes they have been/are being harassed.
This policy and training is critical because under federal case law, an employer can fulfill its obligation if it takes all reasonable steps to prevent harassment before it occurs and takes effective steps to promptly remedy the harassment after it takes place. If these general principles are consistently and carefully applied, the employer can go a long way towards limiting its exposure and liability for sexual harassment.