When people are accused of sexual harassment on the job, they often come up with a variety of excuses. One of the most common is to say that they were joking. This is an effort to turn the blame on the victim.
For instance, perhaps someone made an inappropriate comment about your outfit, your body or your sexual preference. You knew that they were out of line, so you politely told them that you did not appreciate that and that you would be reporting them to HR if it happened again.
But rather than apologizing, the person just laughed and waved it off. They told you that you were too sensitive and that it was just a joke. They tried to blame you for not finding the joke funny, acting as if you were the problem in this scenario.
It is still sexual harassment
The thing to remember is that a joke certainly can be a form of sexual harassment, so this type of excuse does not matter in the long run. That person has still violated your rights, and you may need to report them, even if they claim that they were just trying to be funny.
After all, people will often tell jokes, especially if they think those jokes are edgy or pushing the boundary, and then wait to see how other people react. They are just using the “it was just a joke” line as a way to absolve themselves of responsibility, even though they know that what they said crossed the line and was inappropriate for a workplace environment.
If you have experienced sexual harassment on the job, it is critical that you understand all of your legal rights and options as an employee.