Dear Ann Landers, We hear a lot about sexual harassment, but I'm not sure I know exactly what it is. I'll bet a lot of others are also fairly vague about this and would appreciate it if you would spell it out. How about it, Ann?
Dear Undereducated,
The Chicago Board of Education issued some guidelines for those who asked the same question. Here are some of the offenses the board said constituted sexual harassment, whether intentional or not: Jokes or comments about sex or explicit invitations to have sex. Displaying sexually suggestive objects, photos or cartoons. Remarks about a person's body or sexual attractiveness. Whistling, gawking or commenting on body parts, pro or con. Touching, leering, whistling or making insulting, suggestive or ob-scene comments or gestures. Most companies will issue a warning after a first offense. If there is a second occurrence, it could mean dismissal. Be aware that sexual harassment in the workplace can be an equal- opportunity offense. Some men have sued and won. They cited female department heads and bosses who came on to them, and when the men rebuffed their advances, they were demoted or fired. P.S. I just received a bulletin from Harvard Medical School instructing young physicians on what to do when sexually harassed by patients. What a world! Office problems aren't always serious, but even frivolous ones are still annoy-ing. A lot of these office antics involve feet, although I couldn't tell you why.
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