What is sexual harassment at the workplace? (Taken from handbook)

“Sexual Harassment” includes one or more of the following unwelcome acts or behaviour (whether directly or by implication):

• Physical contact or advances;
• A demand or request for sexual favours;
• Making sexually coloured remarks;
• Showing pornography;
• Any other unwelcome physical, verbal or non-verbal conduct of a sexual nature

Forms of Workplace sexual harassment: (adapted from handbook)

Generally workplace sexual harassment refers to two common forms of inappropriate behaviour:

1. Quid Pro Quo (literally ‘this for that’)

• Implied or explicit promise of preferential/detrimental treatment in employment
• Implied or express threat about their present or future employment status

2. Hostile Work Environment

• Creating a hostile, intimidating or an offensive work environment
• Humiliating treatment likely to affect their health or safety

Some examples of behaviour that constitute sexual harassment at the workplace: (adapted from handbook)

• Making sexually suggestive remarks or innuendos.
• Serious or repeated offensive remarks, such as teasing related to a person’s body or appearance.
• Offensive comments or jokes.
• Inappropriate questions, suggestions or remarks about a person’s sex life.
• Displaying sexist or other offensive pictures, posters, mms, sms, whatsapp, or emails.
• Intimidation, threats, blackmail around sexual favours.
• Threats, intimidation or retaliation against an employee who speaks up about unwelcome behaviour with sexual overtones.
• Unwelcome social invitations, with sexual overtones.
• Unwelcome sexual advances which may or may not be accompanied by promises or threats, explicit or implicit.
• Physical contact such as unwelcome touching or pinching.
• Caressing, kissing or fondling someone against their will (could be considered assault).
• Invasion of personal space (getting too close for no reason, brushing against or cornering someone).
• Persistently asking someone out, despite being turned down.
• Stalking an individual.
• Abuse of authority or power to threaten a person’s job or undermine her performance against sexual favours.
• Falsely accusing and undermining a person behind closed doors for sexual favours.
• Controlling a person’s reputation by rumour-mongering about their private life.

Some examples of behaviour that may indicate underlying workplace sexual harassment and merit inquiry: (adapted from handbook)

• Criticizing, insulting, blaming, reprimanding or condemning an employee in public.
• Exclusion from group activities or assignments without a valid reason.
• Statements damaging a person’s reputation or career.
• Removing areas of responsibility, unjustifiably.
• Inappropriately giving too little or too much work.
• Constantly overruling authority without just cause.
• Unjustifiably monitoring everything that is done.
• Blaming an individual constantly for errors without just cause.
• Repeatedly singling out an employee by assigning her with demeaning and belittling jobs that are not part of her regular duties.
• Insults or humiliations, repeated attempts to exclude or isolate a person.
• Systematically interfering with normal work conditions, sabotaging places or instruments of work.
• Humiliating a person in front of colleagues, engaging in smear campaigns.
• Arbitrarily taking disciplinary action against an employee.
• Controlling the person by withholding resources (time, budget, autonomy, and training) necessary to succeed.

Some examples of workplace behaviours that may not constitute sexual harassment: (adapted from handbook)

• Following-up on work absences.
• Requiring performance to job standards.
• The normal exercise of management rights.
• Work-related stress e.g. meeting deadlines or quality standards.
• Conditions of works.
• Constructive feedback about the work mistake and not the person.