NEW YORK — The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is suing a national provider of housing and support services, alleging a Bronx, New York, housing facility employee was subjected to unwelcome sexual advances.
According to the EEOC, a supervisor with HELP USA made sexual advances to female employees, ogling them, making sexually offensive comments as well as shouting and belittling them despite repeated complaints to management. When one employee complained to a manager about the harassment, she was told the supervisor was only being "playful," the EEOC said.
"Sexual harassment in the workplace should never be brushed aside as playful or harmless," EEOC New York regional attorney Jeffrey Burstein said in a statement. "It is not harmless, and it takes a serious toll on both the employees who are subjected to it and the workplace as a whole."
"Employers should ensure that every one of their employees knows what to do when they hear about or observe harassment in the workplace," added EEOC New York District director Kevin Berry. "This is especially true of line supervisors and managers, who are the eyes and ears of an employer and should know that inaction is not an acceptable response."
The EEOC lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.