That is, if you were to show sexual interest in or get aggressive with a man at work, would you be at all afraid that he might report you for sexual harassment?

(If collectively “no,” then you understand the ball is in your court when it comes to dating in the workplace? So you can’t play that passive “why isn’t he calling” or “why aren’t any men asking me out” BS in that arena.)

My new employer says they don’t tolerate anything–the first implication that a man has even suggested an unwanted interest, as simple as a date, and he’s f’ing gone. I think they’ve been sued one time too many.

I know legally Sexual harassment is a legal term that refers to something that happens exclusively in the workplace and/or work environment and involves workmates, boss-employee, etc. but I would like to know what the legal term used for sexual harassment outside the workplace is, let’s say between friends or acquaintances, what if someone you know, but doesn’t work with you, makes any sexual advances towards you that may or may not include blackmail? let’s say it doesn’t include blackmail, but he/she comes after you and you don’t want to have sex with that person. This may or may not lead to rape in the end, but what if you want to sue this person? what’s the legal term for this or is it even a crime or misdemeanor? Thank you!

In Oncale v. Sundowner Offshore Services, the US Supreme Court unanimously ruled that Title VII’s protection against workplace discrimination “because of… sex” applied to harassment in the workplace between members of the same sex.

In late October 1991, Joseph Oncale was working for Sundowner Offshore Services on a Chevron USA Inc. oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico. He was employed as a roustabout on an eight-man crew. On several occasions, Oncale was forcibly subjected to sex-related, humiliating actions against him by his coworkers in the presence of the rest of the crew. Oncale was also sodomized with a bar of soap, and threatened with rape. Oncale’s complaints to supervisory personnel produced no remedial action. Instead, the company’s Safety Compliance Clerk called him a name suggesting homosexuality. Oncale eventually quit—asking that his pink slip reflect that he “voluntarily left due to sexual harassment and verbal abuse.”

Oncale filed a complaint against Sundowner in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, alleging that he was discriminated against in his employment because of his sex. Relying on earlier precedents, the district court granted summary judgment to the defendant, writing that “Mr. Oncale, a male, has no cause of action under Title VII for harassment by male co-workers.” Oncale appealed, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit affirmed the decision, and then after granting a petition for writ of certiorari, the Supreme Court reversed the decision.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oncale_v._Sundowner_Offshore_Services

Sorry about the cut & paste. I’m still not feeling well and wasn’t up to writing a summary

I am currently pregnant and due in February. I’ve had some coworkers ask questions regarding my status once I get back from maternity leave (i.e. will I come back to work or not). #1 it should be assumed unless I tell people otherwise and #2 what does it matter to them. I was wondering if this is acceptable or a form of harassment?

I work at a job where most of the staff consists of teens and young adults. Just recently, I was reported to our managers for sexual harassment. This report is kind of weird, but I’ll try my best to explain it. I was accused of spreading rumors about me sleeping with a coworker of mine, and I’m her superior, which is definitely a big no-no. The thing is, I haven’t even slept with her. Heck, I never even touched her. Even if I did anything with her, I’m still not the type of person who would take overbearing pride and kiss and tell about it. And me making rumors about MYSELF is just crazy, especially when I’m aware that I’ll be ruining my reputation as a superior in the workplace. I don’t have hard evidence that I haven’t started any rumors, all I have is a testimony of what kind of person I am, and how I wouldn’t do such a thing to harm myself or my coworkers. The rumor has been spread about so much that this case might actually be resolved in her favor. How do I fight this?
Added: The managers are currently investigating the situation, and they also had me write and sign a statement. I haven’t been written up or fired yet, and I’m scheduled to work for the next couple of weeks.
Added again: Thanks for your answer Noah. Just to make things clear though, I’m only accused of starting the rumor and creating a hostile work environment. I’m not accused for any other form of harassment. Your explanation about rumors in this particular case helped a lot. And, of course, I do deny the rumors when it does reach me. I guess the thing to do now is consult with a lawyer and figure out who is claiming to have heard this rumor from me. Thanks again.

Many people tend to assume that females are the only victims of sexual harassment. But it seems to me that men do receive sexual harassment with the same frequency as women do, the only difference being that the sexual harassment experienced by men is usually far less flagrant and more indirect.

I’m in my 30s, and have had a fair amount of office work. For me, sexual harassment seems to take the form of hostility or bad treatment from female co-workers (usually ones who were older than me).

Can anyone offer any insight or would anybody be willing to share any specific examples?

Further, what are some tips for handling possible instances of “reverse sexual harassment”? Sexual harassment is always difficult to prove anyway (unless your employer’s HR department hands you a notarized letter that they only fired you because you refused to sleep with your boss) but it’s virtually impossible to prove when it’s as subtle and indirect as that experienced by male employees.

This is in concern about someone who I know, but isn’t taking any measurement towards the situation. She works for a debt consulting job and she always brags about how this place she’s working only hires females and she’s getting “promotions” as in a raise. Lately, she’s been seeing her supervisor and she is 21 years old. She would leave home around 1-2am and spend the nights with him after a simple phone call and it happens constantly. Supposedly, they don’t want to be a couple, but just “friends”. Would this be considered as a sexual harassment in a workplace, assuming that she’s sleeping with her supervisor who wants to keep it confidential? Because my assumption is that her supervisor is bribing her with sexual favors to keep her job.
It’s my boyfriend’s sister.. so his family is just concerned over her.

I have gotten myself into the unfortunate predicament of working for my mother-in-law, who is incredibly unstable. She’s a restaurant owner. When she’s nice, everything is ok, when she’s not, she’s vicious. She’s an alcoholic and drinks at work, and it makes me very uncomfortable. I’m not officially an employee there, because I’m off the books as a family member, so I have no leg to stand on if she chooses to fire me.

That being said, one of her business associates is a daily patron of the restaurant. I’ve been there for over a year, and at first he used to hit on me and tell me how good looking I am. He’s at least 65, I’m 28 and married to the owner’s son! I don’t handle those situations well, so I just ignored him.

Recently he has become very irritated with me and disrespects me every chance he gets. Yesterday he made a public, loud, crude, inappropriate, definitely sexual-harassment comment about my body in front of several patrons and my co-workers.

I do not wish to file a complaint, sue, or take any legal action whatsoever. I would come under so much fire from my mother-in-law I can’t even imagine. He is a very wealthy, arrogant, prominent business man in town, and I’d also be afraid he’d try to sue me for defamation of character or trying to ruin his business or something.

I want to document the event in a letter to him in which I ask him to please stop making unwanted remarks about me and my body in my workplace. I am really worried about the retaliation I would receive though. Any advice?
I realize I don’t have much to work with as an employee, since technically I’m not one. Even if I were a customer there and not an employee, should this person be able to hit on me and then make crude, obscene remarks about my body when I deny his advances? I only want to know if I can confront him in writing or in person about his public remarks and ask him to stop. I’m not looking to pursue anything legal.