Legally, sexual harassment basically is any unwanted or undesired advance of sexual behavior in an occupational work place. As a result of this is the creation of an uncomfortable intimidating, hostile working environment. These advances of sexual behavior vary. They include an attempted blatant sexual assault , a sexual proposition, degrading comments, vulgar language, any pornography, and offensive and improper jokes. What is exactly is a hostile working environment, though? According to the Supreme Court, it is when conduct is unwelcome, based on sex, and severe enough to alter the conditions of employment and create an abusive working environment.

There are various categories of sexual harassment. The first category is "Quid Pro Quo" Sexual Harassment. This category goes along with the saying, "

the harassment, they too will most likely be held liable. A third situation is when there is harassment by others outside one's company, such as vendors or customers of it. The employer will be liable depending on whether they knew about what was going on, if they tried to stop it somehow, and if they failed to stop it.

Employers have legal duties in preventing sexual harassment. Despite much publicity about sexual harassment today, some surveys have shown that many businesses in the United States have failed to address and take a stand on the issue. Sexual harassment has reportedly been on the rise. Businesses know that it exists, but they are unsure how to deal with it. When businesses fail to take an aggressive position on the issue, results often include costly law suits, but they aren't the only possible detrimental effects. There can also be as a result a decline in productivity, loss of employee morale, and a negative effect on the company's public image.

The Supreme Court ruled on a case involving sexual harassment. This case was Faragher v. City of Boca Raton. The case was about a female lifeguard who was sexually harassed on the job by a supervisor. The case made its way through lower courts up to the Supreme Court. To summarize their ruling, an employer is held liable for sexual harassment if a supervisor created a hostile or uncomfortable environment for an employee. If no action is taken by the employer to stop the harassment, the victim can sue for damages as long as there is proof. The victim must show that the employer did not try to prevent or stop the harassment and that there was no action taken to correct the situation by the employer. Also, the employee must have taken advantage of any opportunities to prevent or stop the s

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Approximate Word count = 1202
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)