Quid Pro Quo Harassment

Quid pro quo harassment is the type of sexual harassment that has long been recognized by the courts. This type of harassment requires an exchange of some sort between an employee and the employee’s supervisor.

The name for this type of harassment means, literally, “this for that.” The “that” portion can be a favor of some sort, a date, or anything else that the employer or supervisor wants. The “this” portion is generally a promotion, better scheduling, not being fired, a pay raise, or some work benefit. Regardless of what the exchanged “items” are, quid pro quo harassment is not acceptable in the workplace and has been outlawed.

Fortunately for anyone who has given into the demands of an employer in order to keep a job, acceptance of the terms of the “agreement” does not generally preclude a person from filing a sexual harassment claim. The rationale is that the harassment is the problem, not the actual exchange. When a person is faced with the threat of losing a job, fear may make a person do something he or she doesn’t really want to do.

One thing to keep in mind in this type of harassment is that only a person who actually has control over a person’s promotion or termination can actually engage in quid pro quo harassment. So if an ordinary co-worker comes up with this scheme, it doesn’t qualify as quid pro quo, since that person can’t actually promote the harassed individual or secure a raise for the person.

Contact a San Antonio Employment Attorney

If you have been a victim of quid pro quo sexual harassment in the workplace, contact the San Antonio employment attorneys of Melton & Kumler, LLP at 1-800-681-6932.