These three cases are examples of a growing number of law suits being filed by women and men enduring workplace sexual harassment, and charge that a sexist environment constitutes sexual harassment and violate their civil rights. In these cases, monetary settlements and judgments where rewarded in favor of the plaintive. Leaving the employers feeling the effects of sexual harassment suits, because employer is ultimately liable for what goes on within the company, and should have taken action right away to resolve the problem, before it became a major issue.
Because of Supreme Court rulings on sexual harassment, employers have taken great measure to prevent sexual harassment within the company, and to deal with it effectively when the problem occurs. Employers realized that sexual harassment caused productivity to be down, absenteeism to be up, and the turnover rate to increase, costing the company big profit loses. Thus, companies are now tracking these issues closely and have developed four primary features that includes, training programs that educate employees on how to identify sexual harassment when it occurs, the meaning of sexual harassment, and the behavior that constitute a hostile and harassing workplace. There are internal complaint procedures; ideally the procedure should provide for fast action and confidentiality. This should be done in a speedy fashion and corrective action that solves the problem. Last, a written and communicated anti-harassment policy should be implemented and enforced.
Meeting the challenge of sexual harassment is not easy for employers, but continuing to provide training, complaint procedures, corrective action, and anti-harassment policies to their employees will help because ultimately the company is liable for the actions of their employees. Some, but not all cases of sexual harassment will be reported, not all cases will result in a law suit, but companies are responsible for making the work environment a safe, non-hostile and non-harassing workplace for its employees. Companies will have to stay on top of the issue of sexual harassment with 20 to over 50 percent of the working women, and 15 percent of working male employees having experienced it. With six figure suits being paid out to each plaintiff even if they opt to settle out of court, company can not afford to not look at sexual harassment as a real and serious issue.
