Many claims of sexual harassment involve an abuse of power between a male supervisor and a female subordinate. While this may be a typical claim, it is certainly not the only behavior that state and federal law protects employees from. Sexual harassment can occur between any combinations of individuals, whether you are discussing the management level or who the victim is and who the perpetrator of the harassment is.
Two female employees recently filed a lawsuit with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission against a healthcare company after they said that they suffered sexual harassment at the hands of a regional director in Missouri. The regional director was a female who has since sought employment in a different workplace.
The lawsuit was filed late this past month, the complaint stating that the regional director from the Missouri site made a number of comments to the two female employees that were of an offensive sexual nature.
The women claimed that the harassment was not the only labor violation that occurred at the company. Retaliation also became a problem after the two employees complained to a supervisor about the sexually harassing workplace. After they complained, they were fired.
Not only were the two complaining employees fired from their positions, but the supervisor they reported the harassment to was also terminated. The supervisor had taken the claims seriously, reporting them to the vice president of the company. The two females were fired just before Christmas in 2009 and the supervisor’s employment was terminated shortly after the New Year had begun.
Source: St. Louis Today, “EEOC sues Hillsboro business,” Robert Patrick, Aug. 23, 2012
Have you suffered unwelcome behavior based on your gender? Our Sexual Harassment page provides information and assistance to victims of this type.
