Sexual Harassment at Starbucks, Essay Example

Sexual harassment is a very serious offense because it not only belittles its victims, but if handled improperly by management in the workplace it can involve serious allegations and thousands or millions of dollars in reparations from potential lawsuits.  This is what the national chain, Starbucks, learned last week when a 29-year-old woman that was an employee with them until last summer filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against the company.  She claimed that multiple accounts of sexual harassment where committed against her, specifically, and that when she approached her manager to file a complaint the situation only seemed to get worse from her male counterparts.  According to John Davis, the woman’s lawyer, “The (male employees) just didn’t cross the line by a little bit – they seemed to jump over the line with both feet.  There was some pretty hard-core, highly offensive harassment” (Goodison, 2008, par. 4).  The woman claims that the sexual harassment started after she called her manager to take her to the hospital after she was sexually assaulted in a separate incident before the summer of 2008.

Sexual harassment violates many different legal statutes that help provide safety and security for people of all races, gender and religions from being discriminated or harassed in any way.  “The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) describes sexual harassment as a form of gender discrimination that is in violation of Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.  In 1998, the U.S. Supreme Court made employers more liable for sexual harassment of their employees” (SexualHarassmentSupport.org, par. 1).  These violations can result in thousands or millions of dollars in reparations, and depending on the extent of the harassment the judge could sentence time in prison for sexual harassment in the workplace.  While these issues are very serious it is important to note that many companies take a very strong stance against sexual harassment in the workplace and even have written policies against such practices being performed by their employees.  This is why it is very shocking that the woman makes it sound that the harassment began from her manager.

The woman claims that her manager told fellow employees at the Boston Starbucks that she was sexually assaulted.  It is unclear whether this conversation was jovial in manner or whether it was meant to provide a sense of understanding regarding her recent trauma.  Nevertheless, the woman believes that the sexual harassment began when the manager shared this confidential information with her male counterparts.  The manager is not only likely to be released from his position with Starbucks to help perform some positive public relations with the local communities in New England and Seattle, but it also puts the fault directly at the feet of the manager if the company is found guilty in court.  Starbucks is likely to sue the manager for any reparations that it is legally obligated to provide to the woman through her lawsuit against the international conglomerate.

The manager was completely in the wrong for handling the situation in the manner that he did.  The situation began by him trying to help out a friend and take her to the hospital after experiencing a traumatic event, and then it escalated once he explained what had happened to his employees.  The manager should have put a stop to the entire thing as soon as she came to him to report the incidents of sexual harassment.  The employees should have been put on notice that the next report would result in a release from the company, but instead the woman claims that the manager did nothing and, in fact, things actually got worse for her after she reported the initial harassment.  Managers must take the responsibility to keep the employees from stepping over the line of sexual harassment in the workplace.  The penalties involved for committing sexual harassment can be very steep and should not be taken for granted.  Most companies even have sexual harassment workshops to provide training for racial and sexual understanding and interpersonal communication techniques that do not harass another individual, whether purposely or accidentally.  It is clear that regardless of the outcome of this case, Starbucks will take a stronger stance on sexual harassment and will probably have such workshops for the management team to attend so that all employees are aware of the costs and penalties of sexual harassment.

Works Cited

Goodison, D (2009, September 24). Sex-harass suit brewing at saugus starbucks. The Boston Herald, Retrieved on September 27, 2009, from Web site: http://news.bostonherald.com/business/general/view/20090924sex-harass_suit_brewing_ex-saugus_starbucks_worker_an_alleged_assualt_victim/srvc=home&position=1

SexualHarassmentSupport.org. Sexual harassment in the workplace. Retrieved on September 27, 2009, from Web site: http://www.sexualharassmentsupport.org/SHworkplace.html