What is Sexual Harassment?

Sexual harassment is a legal term that defines the terms of "what is" harassment and discrimination in the workplace.

• The term is constantly being redefined in legislation, but not all sexual behavior in the workplace constitutes harassment -- and the laws against sexual harassment do not extend to situations outside the workplace or school.
  
• The basic definition of sexual harassment comes from the United Stated Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC):

"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.

Sexual harassment can occur in a variety of circumstances, including but not limited to the following:

• The victim as well as the harasser may be a woman or a man. The victim does not have to be of the opposite sex.
  
• The harasser can be the victim's supervisor, an agent of the employer, a supervisor in another area, a co-worker, or a non-employee.
  
• The victim does not have to be the person harassed but could be anyone affected by the offensive conduct.
  
• Unlawful sexual harassment may occur without economic injury to or discharge of the victim.
  
• The harasser's conduct must be unwelcome.

Originally appeared in USA Today