Week 9 EOC: The Apartment

In the movie, the apartment there were several instances where sexual harassment and workplace issues were exhibited. Sexual harassment in a work place can occur in three different ways. Quid pro Quo, Hostile Environment Created by Supervisors and Hostile Environment Created by Coworkers or Nonemployees. All three forms of sexual harassment were exhibited. Quid pro quo “the most direct is to prove that rejecting a supervisor’s advances adversely affected what the EEOC calls a “tangible employment action,” such as hiring, firing, promotion, demotion, and/or work assignment” (Dessler, p. 40). C.C Baxter was given promotions based on what he agreed to and what he could provide for his supervisors (his apartment). He was often threatened if he did not give in to their demands. This created a hostile work environment for C.C Baxter because he was constantly trying to coordinate his supervisor’s indiscretions, “hostile environment sexual harassment generally means the intimidation, insults, and ridicule were sufficiently severe to alter the employee’s working conditions” (Dessler, p. 40). The work phones were also utilized heavily in order to coordinate the scheduling of the apartment. Miss Olsen also suffered from a great deal of sexual advancements and actions from employees walking in and out of the elevator as well as from Mr. Sheldrake. However, she never seemed to complain or report what was happening. Had she been proactive in making her concerns known, things could have been avoided. “Remember that courts generally look to whether the harassed employee used the employer’s reporting procedures to file a complaint promptly. If the employer has an effectively communicated complaint procedure, use it and then cooperate in the investigation” (Dessler, p. 41).

Dessler, Gary. Human Resource Management, 15th Edition. Pearson Learning Solutions, 2016. [The Art Institutes].