Sexual harassment is a serious issue, one that faces a great number of people. While women are the most common victim of sexual harassment, sexual harassment in the workplace can and does happen to everyone for a variety of reasons. There are specific kinds of sexual harassment, and it can manifest in many ways, for many reasons. Today, we are going to examine one type of sexual harassment in particular, and that is quid pro quo sexual harassment.
What is quid pro quo sexual harassment?
Quid pro quo is actually a Latin term, meaning “this for that.” So basically, “quid pro quo sexual harassment” can be boiled down to “if you provide me sexual favors, I will provide you benefit.” As mentioned above, sexual harassment comes in many forms. A common one is sexual harassment as a means by which to exert power over another person, and quid pro quo sexual harassment fits perfectly in that area. for more check sex assault lawyer.
It is undeniable that there is some form of benefit offered — at least, allegedly — but even though they may offer you raises, promotions, or even just an offer of special privileges that are usually not afforded to someone in your role. No matter how many benefits you gain from the quid pro quo sexual harassment, it is not okay that it happened, nor is it, from the point of view of the harasser, to your benefit at all. At least, that’s not why they do it.
The reason why a person engages in quid pro quo sexual harassment is specifically because they seek to exploit you, to sexually manipulate you. Sure, it may be “better” than if they were “merely” sexually harassing you without offering anything in return, but that does not change the fact that this is often a power play. Sure, there may be sexual attraction involved, but anyone who tries to pressure someone in the workplace to engage in anything sexual in nature, especially if it is persistent, should be understood to be a predator, because that is what they are.
The worst part is when consequences occur as a result of a victim of quid pro quo sexual harassment refusing the offers made and rebuffing the perpetrator’s advances. This is when things really get heavy, and really emphasizes just how much quid pro quo sexual harassment is not meant to be a mutually beneficial exchange, but instead, a selfish action. Retaliation to your refusal can come in many forms. It may be more subtle, such as office rumors being spread about you to make you feel alienated in the workplace. This not only causes said alienation, but also makes you question whether the rumors surrounding you came from the person you rebuffed or not. This can be seen as a form of gaslighting, a type of psychological abuse where someone tries to trick another person into questioning their own sanity. Of course, this is only if the person who engaged in the quid pro quo sexual harassment wants to keep things on the down low. If they do not really worry about that, they could go even further, such as giving you more work, applying undue pressure to you in your job, or even demoting or, worse, firing you altogether. This kind of thing is highly illegal; not like quid pro quo sexual harassment is not a serious crime, but when taken even further, this can cause serious damage to the company’s reputation if it were to come out.
For the company, the number one goal when accused of quid pro quo sexual harassment is to sweep it under the rugs the best they can. Depending on the company, you may find them more or less amiable to dealing with the sex pest in their business. Some will be inclined to drop them like a bad habit, especially if you are not the only one who is reporting this kind of behavior, but many others, unfortunately, seem inclined to protect them from responsibility. At best for the latter situation is, they may ask you to sign a non-disclosure agreement, or NDA, and give you a payout, preventing you from coming forward about the incident without having to face legal repercussions. At worst, they may even side with your abuser, either suggesting that what they did was not that big a deal or even siding with them entirely, denying the validity of your claim. This is why it is as rare as it is for people to come forward about their experience with sexual assault: they simply are not believed. Sure, if it is someone who is no one special, they may be seen as fine to throw in the slammer, but if it is someone with a great deal of respect within their community or injury?
At times, it may seem like there is nothing in the world they could do to make people side with their victims. While these kinds of people may be discouraging, you should not allow them to dictate how you respond to this. Even if a company is complying, it is still i9mportant to have a skilled California sexual harassment lawyer on your side to not only ensure that action is done on your behalf, but also to make sure that the action taken is actually satisfactory for you in the end. A good lawyer will defend you diligently at all points.