As their supervisor, I've told them to knock it off when female staff are present. The decision, which broadens employer liability, should serve as a wake-up call to managers and supervisors. First, some background. Sex discrimination in the work place is illegal. Federal and state laws require that employers provide a work place free from sex discrimination, including sexual harassment.
Sexual harassment is unwelcome sexual conduct directed at an employee by an employer.
In determining whether the conduct is unlawful harassment, the courts consider the nature of the conduct, its frequency and duration, and the context in which the unwelcome conduct occurred. As judged from the viewpoint of a reasonable employee, the unwelcome conduct must be offensive so as to interfere with the employee's work performance and his or her well being. In the case, the male employee was a roustabout on an eight-man crew on an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico. The employee alleged that other male employees on the rig forcibly subjected him to sex-related humiliation, physical assault and even threats of rape. When the victim employee informed his supervisor, no action was taken.