People who work in service jobs, particularly those who rely on tips, often have to deal with atrocious behavior from their customers. Some difficult behavior, such as being overly demanding, is expected. But, there are instances in which the line between difficult behavior and illegal behavior is crossed.
Employees within the service industry often have to deal with sexual harassment at the hands of their customers. The issue with this occurring is that the employees often don’t want to stand up to the behavior because they’re afraid it will be reflected in their tip or that they’ll have a complaint lodged against them.
Employers must set standards
Employers must establish standards that prevent sexual harassment from occurring. The standards have to apply to everyone who deals with the business, including customers, employees, management and vendors.
The rules should forbid sexual harassment in all forms. Some employers focus only on physical sexual harassment, but they must also include things like sexual jokes and comments in the policies.
There must also be an established procedure to follow when a worker files a complaint about sexual harassment. That procedure should focus on determining what happened and ensuring the person who filed a complaint isn’t subjected to more harassment or any forms of retaliation.
Any employee who’s dealing with sexual harassment should ensure they report it to their employer. Other steps, such as taking legal action, may be necessary. Working with someone who’s familiar with sexual harassment at work and how the law applies to these cases may be beneficial so the victims can learn their options and have assistance moving forward.