A form of sexual harassment, literally meaning 'you give something to get something,' where organizational rewards like promotions or raises are offered in exchange for sexual favors. This type of harassment often occurs between an employee and an individual in a position of greater authority within the organization.

Sexual Harassment: Quid Pro Quo

An individual may withhold or threat another individual to withhold a reward at a workplace if their proposal of sexual action of any kind is rejected. 

Sexual Harassment: Withholding Rewards

A type of workplace harassment where an employee is subjected to conditions that are considered hostile or intimidating. This can include the presence of offensive language, inappropriate jokes, or sexually explicit images. For behavior to be classified as creating a hostile environment, it must be a repeated pattern rather than an isolated incident.

Hostile Environment Sexual Harassment

- Quid pro quo
- Withholding Reward
- Hostile environment

New York University

Sexual harassment refers to any sexually-characteristic behavior that is unwelcome and creates a hostile and intimidating work environment. It can also impact an individual's performance at their job.

Sexual Harassment

Spielman, R. M., Jenkins, W. J., & Lovett, M. D. (2020, April 22). Psychology (2nd ed.). OpenStax. https://openstax.org/books/psychology-2e/pages/1-introduction

OpenStax Psychology (2nd ed.) Textbook

Types of Sexual Harassment at Workplace

To combat workplace harassment, most organizations establish formal policies. These policies serve to define what constitutes sexual harassment and outline the specific procedures the company has in place for its prevention and for addressing incidents when they occur.

Organizational Policies on Sexual Harassment

In conjunction with formal policies, many companies provide training to their employees. This training is intended to educate the workforce on the company's sexual harassment policy and its procedures, ensuring they are aware of how to prevent and address such issues.

Sexual Harassment Training

Beyond violating company policies, forms of sexual harassment such as quid pro quo, withholding rewards, and creating a hostile work environment are also illegal.

Illegality of Sexual Harassment

A new employee, Sam, notices that a senior colleague, Jordan, frequently makes comments about the physical appearance of other team members and tells sexually suggestive jokes during team meetings. Several team members appear visibly uncomfortable, and Sam now feels anxious about attending meetings, which is affecting their ability to contribute to team discussions. Which statement best analyzes why this situation could be considered sexual harassment?

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