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Sexual Harassment

of Men

– More than a Workplace Joke

Special Report From: EasySmallBusinessHR.com

Sexual harassment in the workplace is a women’s issue, right?

Not necessarily. In fact, federal civil rights laws provide

protections for both men and women working in a hostile work

environment, according to a recent appeals court ruling.

The Case

A male employee, Rudolpho Lamas, of a service working out of a

Las Vegas airport alleged a female co-worker made repeated

sexual overtures toward him.

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He rejected the advances and complained to company

management. Not only did the harassment continue, one manager

even joked about the incident to the victim. Lamas said his on-the-

job performance suffered in the hostile work environment and he

was eventually fired.

The Results

A federal court initially granted judgment to the employer;

however, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the ruling

stating that men were entitled to protection against a hostile work

environment created by sexual harassment. The violation was

established when the unwelcome conduct created an abusive

environment.

The Lesson for Supervisors & HR

Regardless of the victim’s gender, an employer is liable when they

know or should have known about the sexual harassment and don’t

promptly and effectively remediate the situation by targeting the

offending employee—and not the victim.

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Protect Your Company

A male employee’s sexual harassment claims aren’t a joke. Avoid

gender discrimination by taking all accusations of a hostile work

environment seriously and giving them the investigation they

deserve. If an employee is sexually harassing a co-worker, take

disciplinary action immediately and carefully document each step

you take.

If your firm doesn’t have a comprehensive policy for dealing with

workplace harassment, now is the time to craft one. Don’t wait

until after an abused employee files a costly, time-consuming, and

publicly-embarrassing lawsuit.

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