Sexual Harassment: Legal Aspects Of Emergency Services

1776 Words8 Pages
Legal Aspects of Emergency Services Legal Aspects of Emergency Services Jamie Sisson Kaplan University FS208 Prof: Thomas Downey 3/28/2011 Sexual Harassment In Tennessee, the courts also describe sexual harassment as "any unequal treatment of an employee that would not occur but for the employee's gender." The conduct does not have to be "sexual" in nature but must still be unwelcome and severe enough to make a reasonable person uncomfortable. Sexual harassment is a form of sex discrimination. It is illegal, it can devastate those who experience it, and it often destroys the morale and productivity of the work environment. It is widespread in the fire service, and the numbers are not getting better. As many as…show more content…
It's clear that those who seek legal recourse can't come back to work. * I didn't want to get someone suspended or fired. I just wanted it to stop. There are many reasons women do not report sexual harassment. Some are complex and subtle, having to do with how women are brought up to view themselves and to behave. Others reflect the dynamics of a male-dominated workplace. Following are some of the most common reasons sexual harassment is not reported. Many fire chiefs find it difficult to learn of harassment going on in their department. Harassment, after all, rarely goes on in front of those who would take steps to stop it. Other chiefs may be reluctant to deal with sexual harassment at all, believing that writing policies or providing training will increase the number of harassment complaints. But a head-in-the-sand approach is counterproductive: it will only make things worse, and it ignores management's legal responsibility for providing a harassment-free…show more content…
The fire service manager must take a proactive approach to the FLSA. As with most other aspects of the fire service, management problems with respect to FLSA compliance will generally be compounded when management proceeds with a reactionary approach. most litigation involving the fire service and the FLSA is avoidable. The progressive fire service professional must "preplan" FLSA compliance just as he would preplan response to local fire hazards. Some of the most typical and frequently litigated topics are the following: (1) which fire service employees are subject to the overtime provisions of the FLSA; (2) who falls within the FLSA 7k partial overtime exemption, which allows for deduction of sleep time under certain circumstances; (3) which emergency medical services (EMS) personnel fall within the 7k partial overtime exemption; (4) how compensatory time can be used in lieu of overtime payments; (5) what records must be kept under the FLSA; and (6) what problems are associated with dual-role

More about Sexual Harassment: Legal Aspects Of Emergency Services

Open Document