Here’s another lesson on why companies have to take all harassment complaints seriously.

A male employee claimed he was sexually harassed by his male supervisor. After he made several complaints, the alleged harasser was demoted and moved to a different department. The employee sued anyway — and won.

The company argued it handled the situation appropriately by moving the manager to a different job. But the judge said it didn’t act quickly enough. The employee said he brought his complaint to five different supervisors, but no one did anything until he talked to a union representative.

Respond to complaints

Now the company will have to fork over a hefty settlement or defend itself in a costly trial.

What’s the lesson? Take all complaints seriously, even if they don’t fit the profile of a typical harassment claim.

A growing number of same-sex harassment claims are finding their way to court. Since it’s less common than other forms of harassment, it can be easy for supervisors to dismiss the complaints. But as this case shows, that’ll only lead to trouble.

Cite: Mariegard v. Wynne

Tags: complaints, demotion, same-sex, union