Facts About Harassment
In The Workplace:
Dental Hygiene Program
What You Need To Know
What is harassment in the workplace?
The definition of harassment according to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is: “behavior
which has the eect of humiliating, intimidating, or coercing someone through personal attack.” It is behavior that
will make someone uncomfortable or embarrassed and cause emotional distress.
Do laws prohibit harassment?
Harassment is illegal according to Title VII of the Federal Civil Rights Act of 1964 which prohibits discrimination
in the workplace because of race, color, sex, religion, and national origin. Harassment is a form of discrimination
covered under these laws. Also, in 1980, the EEOC issued regulations defining sexual harassment and stating it was
a form of sex discrimination. It is also prohibited by the Iowa Civil Rights Act of 1965, AND harassment at MHP is
prohibited as stated by policy.
Harassment may be intentional or unintentional. Men or women may be the cause or target of harassment.
It is the behavior that is important, not the gender of the participants, and it is always disrespectful and
inappropriate workplace behavior.
What is sexual harassment in the workplace?
Sexual harassment in the workplace is any unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors and other
verbal or physical conduct that enters into workplace decisions and/or conduct that unreasonably interferes with
an individual’s work performance or creates an intimidating, hostile or oensive work environment. It is a form
of sex discrimination according to the EEOC, which is in direct violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The EEOC
guidelines define two types of harassment: “quid pro quo” and “hostile work environment”.
Quid Pro Quo Harassment: This type of harassment occurs when an employee is required to choose between
submitting to sexual advances or losing a tangible job benefit; the harasser has power to control aspects of the
victim’s employment. Again the advances are sexual in nature (whether implied or explicit), unwelcome by the
victim and a tangible economic benefit of the job is at stake.
Hostile Work Environment: Hostile work environment harassment is unwelcome conduct that is so severe or
pervasive as to change the conditions of the victim’s employment and create an intimidating, hostile, or oensive
work environment. Briefly: it does not require an impact on an economic benefit; it can involve coworkers or
third parties, not just supervisors ; it is not limited to sexual advances; it can occur even when the conduct is
not directed at a specific person but still impacts his or her ability to perform the job; it usually involves a series
of incidents that than one incident; AND the conduct is such that a reasonable person would find it hostile or
oensive.
