Sexual harassment in the workplace is a problem that must be taken seriously. It can significantly reduce productivity, increase employee absenteeism and turnover, and impair the health and well being of employees. This can cost a company up to $6.7 million a year. Sexual harassment is not about sex, rather than the harasser expressing hostility toward the victim or abusing power over the victim. But unfortunately this is where the debate begins and remains to this day...just exactly what is sexual harassment?
             Sexual harassment, according to the EEOC, is any 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 (Legal Definitions).
             There are two types of sexual harassment: "quid pro quo" harassment (this for that) and hostile environment harassment.
             Quid pro quo harassment occurs when submission to the harasser's sexual advances is stated or implied condition of employment. It can also occur if submitting or refusing to submit is the basis for an employment decision affecting the victim. The harasser in this type of situation is someone with the authority to make substantive employment decisions on the victim. Some examples of quid pro quo are requesting sexual favors in exchange for a promotion, stating or implying to an applicant that she or he will be hired if she or he participates in sexual activity, and stating or implying that a person will be demoted or fired if he or she does not submit to a sexual request.
             Hostile environment harassment occurs when unwelcome sexual conduct interferes with an individual's work performance or creates intimidating, hostile, o...