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Hostile work environment



BOLI : Sexual harassment : For Workers : State of Oregon
Federal government websites often end in. Harassment is unwelcome conduct that is based on race, color, religion, sex including pregnancy , national origin, age 40 or older , disability or genetic information. Harassment becomes unlawful where 1 enduring the offensive conduct becomes a condition of continued employment, or 2 the conduct is severe or pervasive enough to create a work environment that a reasonable person would consider intimidating, hostile, or abusive. Anti-discrimination laws also prohibit harassment against individuals in retaliation for filing a discrimination charge, testifying, or participating in any way in an investigation, proceeding, or lawsuit under these laws; or opposing employment practices that they reasonably believe discriminate against individuals, in violation of these laws. Petty slights, annoyances, and isolated incidents unless extremely serious will not rise to the level of illegality.


Sexual Harassment
It seems like every day there is a new allegation of sexual harassment in the news. Employers wanting to take steps to protect their employees from harassment and themselves from liability have asked: What constitutes sexual harassment? Generally speaking, as defined by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission EEOC , sexual harassment includes unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical harassment of a sexual nature. Given the current climate, employers should be asking what this means in real terms. There are two types of actionable sexual harassment: 1 hostile work environment and 2 quid pro quo.




What is Sexual Harassment? Despite both national and international efforts to eliminate sexual harassment, there is no single definition of what constitutes prohibited behavior. Generally, international instruments define sexual harassment broadly as a form of violence against women and as discriminatory treatment, while national laws focus more closely on the illegal conduct.