You run a catering company. Your most important customer is an office right across the street. You deliver regular lunch orders every single day and larger orders every week. You usually assign your morning prep worker to do the lunch deliveries because she has finished her prep work by then. The prep worker tells you there is a customer who makes her feel uncomfortable. She mentions he keeps making sexual comments and jokes about her and to her. You feel badly, but you also think she can handle a few dirty jokes. When it is convenient you send another staff person to do the deliveries, but the prep worker is usually the only one who is free. You don’t want to lose any of your business at the office so you don’t raise it with your customer. Instead, you try to encourage your worker by saying things like “What a jerk” and “You’re tough. I know you can handle it.”
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No, you are not meeting your responsibilities under the Code. Your worker is being sexually harassed. You know one of your workers is feeling uncomfortable at work because someone is making sexual comments and jokes. You are not taking responsibility to protect this worker from sexual harassment by a customer. You need to address the concerns with the customer and take steps to stop the discrimination experienced by this worker or other workers you send to do the lunch deliveries.
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