Harassment in the workplace is unlawful. This is true for sexual and non-sexual types of harassment. Harassment can take many forms: It may be that you feel bullied by a group of coworkers, who tease you regularly because of your race or religion. Alternatively, you may feel extremely uncomfortable in the workplace because your boss is pressuring you to have a romantic relationship with them.
If you believe that you have been victim to harassment in the workplace, you should consider taking legal action. Before doing so, reflect on the defining characteristics of your situation. If you believe that you may have been victim to quid pro quo harassment, first take the time to understand the legal definition of this. The following is an overview of the elements of quid pro quo harassment.
What is quid pro quo harassment in the workplace?
Quid pro quo is a Latin term that translates to “something for something”. Quid pro quo harassment is, therefore, defined as any type of harassment that involves the promise of a benefit in return for a favor. In most quid pro quo cases, this benefit is something of a professional nature, for example, a raise or promotion, and the requested favor is something of a sexual nature.
What are the elements of a quid pro quo harassment claim?
If you want to make a quid pro quo harassment claim, you will need to show that certain elements were present to be successful. You will need to first show that you and the accused person had a professional relationship — you should have either been employed by them or applied to work for them.
You should then show that the accused person made an unwanted sexual advance or proposition and that it was communicated that the tolerating of these types of advances would result in positive or negative implications for their employment. Finally, you should show that this engagement affected you as the victim in a negative way.
If you believe that you have become a victim of quid pro quo harassment or any other type of workplace harassment, you should not tolerate this conduct. By taking immediate action, you may be able to gain back damages for this unfortunate experience.