Workplace sexual harassment can be disheartening and even traumatizing. In some cases, workers experience harassment from their teammates and co-workers. Other times, supervisors or even business owners are the ones who mistreat certain professionals.
In such situations, the employee experiencing harassment may recognize that they have the right to report the matter and request support from their employer. However, when sexual harassment involves a customer mistreating a worker rather than another employee engaging in misconduct, workers may wonder what rights they have. Contrary to what many professionals assume, they should not have to tolerate sexual harassment from customers just because they work with the public.
Employers should address all harassment
Preventing sexual harassment in the workplace is one of the many anti-discrimination requirements imposed on employers. They should train their workers about sexual harassment so that they do not mistreat one another. They should also teach managers and those in human resources how to respond to concerns by employees.
If a worker reports that a regular customer has touched them inappropriately or made repeated advances despite them asking the customer to stop, then management may need to intervene for the protection of the employee. Failing to do so could leave the company open to sexual harassment litigation.
How can employers help?
There are many ways for businesses that serve the public to address the inappropriate conduct of certain customers. In some cases, simply having a different worker, possibly a member of the opposite sex, handle that customer’s needs going forward can sufficiently address the situation.
Other times, it may be necessary to directly address the matter. A manager can advise the customer that their conduct has crossed the line and ask them to treat the workers with more professional regard. In cases where customers may have made workers feel unsafe by touching them, waiting for them outside the business and threatening them, management may have to make the decision to cease serving that particular individual.
If the company chooses to side with the customer rather than protect the employee, the inaction of the company could violate the worker’s rights. The worker could potentially hold the business accountable for failing to protect them from sexual harassment on the job.
As is true of any other sexual harassment scenario, those experiencing abuse from customers need to gather evidence of what they have experienced. Documenting and reporting customer sexual harassment is the first step toward addressing it or holding an employer accountable for permitting it.