Have you ever wondered how other employees are impacted at your business by an employee consuming porn? It often creates a hostile work environment and if unaddressed, may lead to a sexual harassment lawsuit.
Most often, we read about this trend in the case of librarians. Many libraries have mandated federal filters that are attached to federal funds, but it is still easy to pull up pornography from a direct link. Who is left to enforce the library policy for appropriate computer usage? The librarians.
Just this week, a librarian in Birmingham, Ala., filed a lawsuit against her employer, the library, for a computer usage policy that allows a sexually hostile work environment. She also alleges that she has been sexually harassed by library patrons who have made sexually aggressive comments and who have sexually touched her.
Libraries have been grappling with this issue for almost a decade. In 2003, a group of 12 library employees at the Minneapolis Public Library filed a complaint with the EEOC claiming that “During the recent course of my employment I have been subjected to repeated exposure to sexually explicit materials and sexual activity at my place of employment. My employer has adopted an Internet access policy which allows for unrestricted access to sexually explicit Internet sites.” After an EEOC ruling that the library’s conditions created a hostile work environment, the employees filed a 31-page complaint in federal court detailing the allegations. The outcome of the case was a $435,000 settlement paid to the plantiffs.
Dial Corporation is private sector example of the costly impact of pornography and sexual harassment on business. In 2007, Dial Corp. agreed to pay $10 million to settle class action sexual harassment allegations brought by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The EEOC’s suit clamied widespread lewd remarks, physical assaults, displays of pornography and other acts of harassment and intimidation of femail employees. The Employment Law Alliance said: “This case demonstrates the high financial and other consequences of management tolerance of sexually inappropriate activities at even one facility.”
The impact of porn on business that includes a legal liability can be calculated; $435,000 for Minnesota Public Libraries (plus legal fees) and $10 million for the Dial Corp. (plus legal fees). Tomorrow, we’ll look at another intangible cost of pornography – lost opportunities.
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