Human Resource Management, 3rd Edition

Chapter 3

Ensuring Equal Employment Opportunity and Safety

A MANAGER'S PERSPECTIVE

ALEX RETURNS TO HIS OFFICE AFTER MEETING WITH JASMINE, ONE OF HIS MOST VALUED TEAM MEMBERS. JASMINE HAS JUST INFORMED ALEX THAT SHE WILL BE MAKING A FORMAL CLAIM OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT. BOB, A MEMBER OF THE SAME MANUFACTURING TEAM AS JASMINE—THE RED TEAM—HAS REPEATEDLY BEEN MAKING SEXUAL COMMENTS THAT CAUSE JASMINE TO FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE. JASMINE MENTIONED THIS TO ALEX A FEW WEEKS AGO, BUT ALEX HOPED THE ISSUE WOULD JUST GO AWAY. NOW HE IS WORRIED THAT HIS RESPONSE WAS NOT WHAT IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN. TODAY HE ASSURED JASMINE THAT HE WOULD SEE TO IT THAT THERE WAS NO RETALIATION FOR MAKING A HARASSMENT CLAIM. HOWEVER, ALEX WONDERS IF THINGS WOULD HAVE GOTTEN THIS BAD IF HE HAD STEPPED IN SOONER.

Alex knows that he should have tried to help resolve Jasmine's concern. Yet, he is unclear whether the company is responsible for Bob's actions. Does he as a supervisor have a responsibility to reprimand Bob for making sexual comments? Are there laws that protect people from having to work in environments that make them uncomfortable? Is there real harm as long as Bob is not physically touching Jasmine?

As Alex thinks about legal issues, he remembers seeing an accident report for the blue team. Tim, one of the team members, received an injury while cleaning a piece of equipment. He tried a shortcut procedure ...