Week 9: The Apartment

The apartment was chalk full of harassment, sexual harassment in particular was the biggest issue. There was a male employee that slapped the elevator woman on the butt which she should have reported to human resources. The man then proceeded to make sexual comments about the woman and other female employees which should have been reported by the male employee he was talking to but he was currently receiving quid pro quo harassment from him so he can move up in the company. “Managers should use zero-tolerance harassment policies to take action even for offensive conduct that does not meet the legal standard of a harassing environment. The reason is that even mild forms of harassment that go unchecked can disrupt an operation through decreased morale and productivity and increased employee turnover” (P. 355). Just the way the boss would talk to his employees was degrading and sexist in itself.

 “According to the book, Sexual Harassment is any unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature.”(P.336) That being said, spanking another employee on the butt with a newspaper is a form of sexual harassment.

 The employees were also victims of favoritism. Many employees were able to move up due to managers liking them, while other employees who had seniority had difficulty moving up. Whether it be bribery to avoid for others to find out about his affairs, forgery by having his secretary sign all of his paperwork, or plagiarism by stealing another person's idea and presenting it to his superiors, all of these acts created a hostile work environment. Everybody working there was either busy seeking revenge or simply keeping to themselves after they have been mentally or physically abused. In this case for the movie, the manager would have been "held liable for a hostile work environment [because he knew] that the harassment was occurring and [he] did not take reasonable action to stop it." (P. 353).