Sexual Harassment is a problem that affects all segments of the public and private sectors. It seems that over the past ten years the incidence of sexual harassment has increased dramatically. Some examples of high profile sexual harassment include Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky, Bill Clinton and Paula Jones, and Kobe Bryant and a Colorado teenager. These are just a few examples of how far reaching sexual harassment is in today’s society. One of the major problems with sexual harassment is the ability to identify whether sexual harassment is real and what do if it happens. Often, sexual harassment is a matter of he said, she said and there are often no witnesses to the alleged sexual harassment. Another problem with sexual harassment is the ability to discipline in a consistent manner. Employers often struggle treating employees consistently due to many factors such as length of employment, performance, and rank in the company. During the case all of these issues will be addressed and supported with information from the text, governmental laws, and industry leaders in sexual harassment and HRM. One of the largest problems with sexual harassment is the identification that harassment has actually occurred. Sexual harassment as defined by the text is “Unwelcome sexual attention that causes the recipient distress and results in as ability on the part of the recipient to effectively perform the job”. (Human Resource management 601) Most of the time sexual harassment is a he said she said act and proving it is hard to do. The EEOC does not define simple teasing or comments but repeated abuse could be considered sexual harassment. When proving sexual harassment an employee must demonstrate a consistent account of harassment that created a hostile environment that caused physical of physiological effects. (Salt Lake Tribune 2012) With that being said there are also other factors that go into proving that sexual harassment has occurred. First the character of both the accuser and accused come into play. If the accuser has a history of filing sexual harassment complaints that have no validity the will not be taken as seriously as say a long term employee with a great history. It is almost sad because it is almost like the boy who cried wolf. If there is a history of false reports and a real situation occurs they may not be taken seriously due to past performance. On the other hand if you have an accused that has numerous complaints filed against him/her it proves a history of misconduct and would be an easier case to prove. Sexual harassment is a very serious offense and people should remember that one false complaint about someone could ruin their career and possibly their lives. Another long standing issue with sexual harassment is the treatment and equal treatment of the accused after they have been found to be in violation of a company’s sexual harassment policy. After review of my own company’s harassment policy I have found that they do a good job covering what is deemed to be sexual harassment but no of the consequences of the act. This is a fundamental flaw of our company and I would believe many companies. While it is good to define what sexual harassment is, it is equally important to define the consequences of any violation of a harassment policy. The definition should include what would occur on the first offense, second offense, and third offense. A sexual harassment policy should also define the degrees of sexual harassment and consequences of each degree. Without having these in place it creates an environment where the discipline of sexual harassment is extremely subjective and therefore unfair. Many provisions that define what is deemed sexual harassment can be found in the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 is considered ground breaking because it covered many controversial items that included the protection of a person’s employment rights without discrimination based upon sex, religion, disability, and other factors. Even though the courts deem sexual harassment as illegal many companies retaliate against an employee that lodged a complaint. The Supreme Court has deemed retaliation as illegal and in the case of Eric Thompson vs. North American Stainless, LP the court ruled that “VII’s anti-retaliation provision with its substantive antidis­crimination provision. Title VII prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, and national origin with respect to . . . compensation, terms, conditions, or privileges of employment, and discriminatory practices that would deprive any individual of employment oppor­tunities or otherwise adversely affect his status as an employee.” (Thompson vs. North American Stainless, LP page 3) The court’s ruling strictly states that retaliation under any circumstances is deemed illegal. With sexual harassment being a very large and potentially damaging problem in the workplace today it is important for employers to identify this and react accordingly. Having multiple sexual harassment policies in place to protect employees and the employer is the only affective approach to the problem. Also having anti-retaliation and disciplinary policies as they relate to sexual harassment will also help dictate the proper procedure when dealing with sexual harassment. While sexual harassment is a large problem effecting businesses large and small, a bit of preparation and homework could save and employer and employee a lot of money and headache and lead to more profitable and appealing place to work.