Hostile Work Environment Examples
Example #1
Mandy has a habit of leaning in close to Rachel and brushing her hand against her thighs when they are working at a shared workstation. Rachel has brushed her away and asked her to stop several times, but Mandy continues to annoy her. Mandy and Rachel are co-workers, and Mandy is not asking Rachel to exchange sexual favors for favorable working conditions, so her behavior is not quid pro quo sexual harassment. It could, however, be considered hostile work environment sexual harassment.
Example #2
Rhonda is the only female in the chemical engineering class. Several of the male students think it is amusing to make her the target of sexual jokes, to draw or post pictures of women in demeaning positions labeled with her name and to leave sex toys on her desk. Rhonda tries to ignore the offensive behavior, hoping it will stop. But Rhonda's grades are suffering and she frequently misses class rather than face this treatment. Because Rhonda's tormentors are peers and she has not been asked for sexual favors in exchange for better treatment, the behavior is not quid pro quo sexual harassment.