What is sexual harassment? How can an employee prove sexual harassment?
Suzy, a 35-year-old Caucasian woman, is a fairly new employee at a downtown office building in Texas. Most of Suzy
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s fellow employees are males between the ages of 18 and 40. Suzy is determined to fit in with her new colleagues and allows some sexually explicit jokes, which are on the borderline of being offensive, to be told during her first few months of work without registering an objection. Now she is finding her colleagues to be increasingly rude and inappropriate, and the jokes have become more explicit and have crossed the line into being offensive and even threatening.
Based on what you learned in this chapter, write a short response that defines sexual harassment and lists strategies that might help Suzy deal with her situation. Make sure that your response addresses three or more of the following issues:
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Identify whether or not Suzy has a legitimate case of sexual harassment.
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List options for Suzy to take and their likely outcome.
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Outline the procedure Suzy would follow to file a complaint of sexual harassment.
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Explain the most responsible course of action for Suzy’s employer to take.
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Explain how Suzy can prove sexual harassment in this situation.