Beyond sexual harassment, conduct that addresses, identifies or singles out people based on protected traits like age, disability, gender, national origin, race, religion and sex is usually not acceptable in the workplace, Chernak noted.
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In most situations, co-workers can ask an employee to go out on a date. “But that doesn’t mean the employee can ask a co-worker out on 10 straight days,” Chernak said. “At some point, the friendly asking out on a date can become harassment.”
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The employer should know about such a relationship and should ensure that the manager has no way to affect the terms and conditions of the worker’s employment, Chernak said, noting that additional issues arise if there’s an appearance of favoritism because of the relationship.
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Supervisors must be trained on how to handle complaints and should understand what situations require them to notify or involve HR, Chernak said. In addition to training, companies should have clear anti-discrimination, anti-harassment and anti-retaliation policies.
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