Reference no: EM133479868
Assignment:
Read the situation and respond to the questions below
You supervise a group of seven laborers, six men and one women on a public works crew. The woman, Kate, is a new employee and is the first women to join the work crew. She was hired three months ago.
Until two months ago, you were very pleased with Kate's work. She was willing and able to take on additional responsibilities when asked and seemed to be getting along well with the men. But now you've thinking you may have misjudged her. Lately, her work hasn't been up to par. She leaves tools out that should be put away, has overlooked some safety standards, and has called in sick three times in two weeks. When you talked with her about it, she seemed distracted and said she would try to improve.
You've also noticed that one of the men on the crew, Les, spends a lot of time with Kate. You overheard him telling her a dirty joke one day, but she smiled and seemed to find it funny. On another occasion you heard him make a comment about her figure to her face and in front of the other men.
Les can sometimes be "obnoxious," but everyone likes him and puts up with it. Kate hasn't complained to you, but you feel uneasy about the whole situation.
Questions:
1. Do you think sexual harassment has occurred in this situation? Why or why not?
2. What is your responsibility as a supervisor? Should you wait for Kate to object or speak to you, or should you take action based on what you've seen?
3. Do you need more information? How would you go about getting it?
4. What will you doabout Kate's job performance?
5. Assuming that Kate considers Les' jokes and comments about her figure unwelcome would this pass the "reasonable person standard"? What criteria would you use?