Individuals who experience sexual harassment in the workplace often report that their experiences were minimized by colleagues. One of the more common avenues of minimization is to say that whatever happened or whatever was said was “just a joke.” In point of fact, “I was just joking” is not a defense. Sexual harassment is serious business. The fact that it sometimes takes the form of jokes or innuendo does not lessen its impact on the victim or the liability of the perpetrator and the employer. The following articles may help provide clarity on this difficult topic.
