Scenario 2.1: Workplace Relationships
Ms.Aslani,a young woman who immigrated from Tehran,had a past relationship with her senior manager,Mr.McKinnon.She held a low paying administrative support position with a local private manufacturing company.During the relationship,they would frequently text each other with sexual messages.The relationship ended after two months,but the texting by Mr.McKinnon continued.The employee both verbally and by text said that the texting made her uncomfortable and requested that the senior manager stop texting.The texts did not stop,and Ms.Aslani became stressed and took a leave of absence.After several months,when the texting continued despite the employee's threats to contact the police,Ms.Aslani left the company.The company did not have a policy on employees' social use of communication technologies while at work.
-Please refer to Scenario 2.1.What is the most objective description of Ms.Aslani's situation?
A)she is being harassed,not discriminated against
B)she is not being discriminated against as the situation stemmed from a consensual sexual relationship
C)it is no longer a problem as she decided to leave her job at this organization
D)she is being discriminated against based on sex,which is a form of sexual harassment

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The senior manager's continued texting, despite Ms. Aslani's verbal and written requests to stop, creates a hostile work environment and is a form of sexual harassment based on her sex. Additionally, the fact that she had to take a leave of absence and eventually leave the company shows that the situation had a negative impact on her employment. The lack of a policy on employee's social use of communication technologies also suggests that the company did not take appropriate measures to prevent or address sexual harassment in the workplace.