Thus, the plaintiff in a hostile work environment case must show that sexually harassing behavior is more than occasional, but need not document an abusive environment that causes actual psychological injury. The courts recognize that a hostile work environment will detract from employees' job performance, discourage employees from remaining in their position, and keep employees from advancing in their career. Title VII's guiding rule of workplace equality requires that employers prevent a hostile work environment. Many employers, realizing the potential liability arising from hostile work environment complaints, have sought to prevent the occurrence of sexual harassment. A first step is determining if a problem exists.
Some companies conduct informal surveys of their employees concerning sexual harassment.
In addition, employers often inspect the workplace for objectionable material, such as photographs of nude people or insensitive or explicit jokes with sexual connotations. Employers typically include a policy against sexual harassment in personnel policies or employee handbooks. These policies use the EEOC definition of prohibited conduct as a guideline. The prohibited conduct must be stated in an understandable way. A complaint procedure must be part of the policy.