Easy Small Business HR 1
Sexual Harassment
of Men
– More than a Workplace Joke
Special Report From: EasySmallBusinessHR.com
Sexual harassment in the workplace is a women’s issue, right?
Not necessarily. In fact, federal civil rights laws provide
protections for both men and women working in a hostile work
environment, according to a recent appeals court ruling.
The Case
A male employee, Rudolpho Lamas, of a service working out of a
Las Vegas airport alleged a female co-worker made repeated
sexual overtures toward him.
Easy Small Business HR 2
He rejected the advances and complained to company
management. Not only did the harassment continue, one manager
even joked about the incident to the victim. Lamas said his on-the-
job performance suffered in the hostile work environment and he
was eventually fired.
The Results
A federal court initially granted judgment to the employer;
however, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the ruling
stating that men were entitled to protection against a hostile work
environment created by sexual harassment. The violation was
established when the unwelcome conduct created an abusive
environment.
The Lesson for Supervisors & HR
Regardless of the victim’s gender, an employer is liable when they
know or should have known about the sexual harassment and don’t
promptly and effectively remediate the situation by targeting the
offending employee—and not the victim.
Easy Small Business HR 3
Protect Your Company
A male employee’s sexual harassment claims aren’t a joke. Avoid
gender discrimination by taking all accusations of a hostile work
environment seriously and giving them the investigation they
deserve. If an employee is sexually harassing a co-worker, take
disciplinary action immediately and carefully document each step
you take.
If your firm doesn’t have a comprehensive policy for dealing with
workplace harassment, now is the time to craft one. Don’t wait
until after an abused employee files a costly, time-consuming, and
publicly-embarrassing lawsuit.