Unit 2 discussion
Mr. Thomas, a 10 year executive with XYZ Corporation,
continued to engage his secretary in a conversation regarding the female body
part that was a subject of a recent television program, even after she
indicated she did not wish to discuss it further. Mr. Thomas subsequently
copied a page from a dictionary containing the name of a body part and gave it
to the secretary, which in addition to prior behavior she interpreted as sexual
harassment. His employer terminated him because of this incident and other
alleged incidents of poor judgment. In a suit for wrongful termination, Mr.
Thomas won compensatory damages plus punitive damages against the company and
his secretary.
In the Discussion Board, discuss the following questions
about the case:
Do you think Mr. Thomas’ actions constituted sexual
harassment? Why or why not?
Do you think termination of Mr. Thomas was justified? Why or
why not?
What factors might have influenced the jury’s decision?
Can you share with the class if you, your friend or
colleague have had an encounter with a sexual harassment case at work? Do not
use names of individuals or businesses.
