California residents and others who work as bartenders may have to deal with poor behavior from customers on a regular basis. When it comes to incidents of nonfatal work violence, they have the third-highest rate behind law enforcement and security personnel. Some may simply choose to deal with the behavior in the hope that they don't lose their tips. Employees may also feel like they have to put up with the behavior because they haven't been trained on how to deal with it.
Famed chef Mario Batali accused of sexual harassment
Individuals in California working in the hospitality industry are likely interested in the sexual misconduct and harassment accusations that have caused celebrity chef Mario Batali to step away from his business empire. His businesses include famous restaurants and a television show on ABC.
Lawmakers show bipartisan support for sexual harassment bill
In a rare display of bipartisan cooperation, members of the House of Representatives from both sides of the political aisle have voiced support for legislation introduced by a California Democrat that would introduce mandatory sexual harassment training for lawmakers and their staffs. During a Nov. 14 House hearing, Representative Jackie Speier pointed to a recent spate of sexual harassment allegations, which have been leveled against both Republicans and Democrats, as evidence that action is necessary.
Understanding employment law regarding sexual harassment
When a California employee has a harassment complaint, human resources is supposed to talk to the accuser, the accused and any witnesses to the harassing behavior. Once that initial step has taken place, employees are supposed to be made aware of an investigation's findings. However, not all employers do this. In some cases, HR may try to claim that a complaint was never made or that an interview with a victim ever took place.
Ways co-workers can reduce sexual harassment and support victims
With surveys revealing that 25 percent of women and a smaller percentage of men endure sexual harassment at work, many people will likely witness the behavior while on the job in California. Over 70 percent of victims do not report their mistreatment because they fear retaliation. Co-workers typically stay silent as well, but their willingness to speak up could discourage an abusive workplace culture.
Understanding sexual harassment
It is not unusual for women in California and the rest of the nation to be sexually harassed in the workplace. According to a survey that was conducted in 2015, 1 in 3 women reported being a victim of sexual harassment in the workplace at least once.
Workplace harassment and discrimination reported at Google
One of California's most iconic tech firms is feeling the heat after a former employee distributed an internal memo that read like a manifesto for gender discrimination. Search engine giant Google moved quickly to terminate the employment of the software engineer responsible for the memo, which claimed that women are biologically unsuited to jobs in the tech world. However, recent reports suggest that this employee may only be the tip of the workplace discrimination iceberg.
Female-on-female harassment does happen in the workplace
When California employees think about sexual harassment in the workplace, they probably think about inappropriate conduct involving a man and a woman. Even though it's not as prevalent as the male-on-female variety, female-on-female sexual harassment can and does occur.
10th Circuit overrules lower court in harassment case
In May, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit sent a sexual harassment case back to a lower court for trial. In its ruling, it rejected a claim by the defendant, that was the plaintiff's employer, that the case should not go forward because there was no required EEOC charge of quid pro quo harassment. California employees might be interested to hear that the appeals court based its decision on the fact that no label is required to proceed with a sexual harassment claim.
Sexual harassment hotlines do not stop the harassment
When reports of sexual harassment began swirling around Fox News earlier this year, it was noted that employees never took advantage of the media organization's hotline. Like Fox News, many California companies maintain a hotline for employees to report incidents of sexual harassment. However, these types of hotlines are generally meant to legally protect the company and not actually prevent sexual harassment.
