Mutual Consent
Workplace sexual harassment is well defined by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commissions (EECC) Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of asexual nature constitutes sexual harassment when submission to such conduct is made either explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of an individual’s employment, submission to or rejection of such conduct by an individual is used as the basis for employment decisions affecting such individuals, or such conduct has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual’s work performance or creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive working environment. (29 C.F.R. §1604.11 [1980]) Note the beginning of the definition in the guidelines… “unwelcome sexual advances”. This begs the obvious question… what if the sexual advances are welcomed? Do they still constitute workplace sexual harassment? Take it …