I wasn't arguing, mark-I was only exchanging information.Lest anyone misunderstand, I'm not implying that sexual harassment is or isn`t a"British thing," or anything of the like. I started out by pointing out the cultural and legal differences-what Irene sees as acceptable behavior in the workplace
is not here in the U.S., though it does occur, and probably more than we know-that's why there are laws against it. What she sees as acceptable behavior in the military
is not in the U.S. military, though it does occur, and probably more than we know.
http://www.hrmreport.com/news/male-sexual-harassment-claims-rising/ Considering the statistic about the percentage of rapes that get reported vs. those that actually occur, I'd say there's probably an entire abyss of things that we're blissfully unaware of in that regard-things that she's likely just as blissfully unaware of.
Most people who aren't part of the major corporate world, or government employment in the U.S. probably don't go through the nonsense I do, of having to take training on what constitutes sexual harassment
every goddam year-not only so that I don't engage in such behavior, but so that I recognize my obligations if an employee complains to me as their supervisor about such behavior-as well as my organization's liabilities and obligations. Getting back to Caver's original post, it is a very simple default action for an employer to simply dismiss the one complained about out of hand-having been involved in conducting fact-finding investigations for complaints like these-once as the one complained against, and three times as a supervisor-I can say that the process is onerous-and that there are some people who, if such an accusation were made against them, while I would have to go through the required investigation process, I'd probably rather just fire them and get it over with, if that were even an option for me.
Bottom line.,
in the U.S., professional behavior just does not include touching beyond that required for the job, and minor social interaction like shaking hands-or respecting those that decline to do so for religious or hygenic reasons. That includes touching beyond that that is welcomed by both parties, and may be of the most innocent of character, like my massaging the secretary's shoulders: she liked it, I liked it, but it made others uncomfortable, and it had to stop, or we were "sexually harassing" them, by force of law.
In the U.S., while social interactions outside of work are acceptable for coworkers, and one can ask a coworker out, professional behavior does not include asking a coworker if they'd
like a shag, a roll in the hay, to step outside, meet at the Motel 6, or
anything of that nature-you might get away with it once, but once
anyone told you to cut it out, you better, because the next time you do it makes it a persistent pattern of behavior
unwelcome behavior that is grounds for dismissal, if documented,
by force of law.Naturally, this does not apply in the case where such queries are welcomed-no one is likely to complain about those, but why it's better not to risk it
at work
In the U.S., professional behavior does not include telling jokes of a sexual nature "where they are unwelcome." While you might get away with such jokes, or even find a welcome audience for them for a time, the instant they make anyone uncomfortable, they become
unwelcome behavior, and to persist in them is "sexual harassment."
I started my career in nuclear power in 1982, in a power plant, in N.Y. Many of my fellow employees were ex-Navy men. The language and behavior that were socially acceptable in that environment at the time were already becoming "illegal"-the EEOC had recognized and defined sexual harassment in 1980, and the Supreme Court's first case recognizing it as a violation of title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 took place in 1986- it has taken a lot of changes, both culturally and in my own personal behavior, to get on board with this-as a shop steward and assistant business agent, the then evolving law on "sexual harassment" was part of my labor law education,and that's just the way it is. I had a coworker comment to a young, pretty secretary about her modes of dress-something about her wearing earth tones most of the time, instead of more bright colors-as innocent as that seems, complaints were made, and our boss had to tell him,
"Jimmy, cut it out. In these days, that's worse than drugs: with drugs you get rehab and to come back to your job, twice-here, with this stuff, we'll just have to fire you."
In Caver's possible situation, where he might well not think anything of touching someone, male or female, on the shoulder or arm as a way of getting their attention-the equivalent of saying "Hey," he might never have been told that such behavior was unwelcome, or given the opportunity to address it-he was just given the boot the first time someone he'd made uncomfortable said that he touched them on the butt, as they knew he would be.
I kind of tend to doubt it.
