Everyone in the workplace should be conscientious of what he or she says and does. Workers should never be made to feel uncomfortable when they are trying to do their jobs. Unfortunately, a large family dining chain is now reportedly being seen in a negative light for just such reasons. Florida-based Red Lobster has been dealing with accusations by some of its employees who are claiming that they were the victims of sexual harassment.
The three women claim that they were subjected to an offensive work environment at the hands of their culinary manager. They claim that the man would grope them and made them feel uncomfortable. The man allegedly would also explain the details of the sexual fantasies he had about them.
When the plaintiffs could no longer tolerate the man's behavior, they claim that they reported what he was doing to their general manager. The women assert that he did nothing to stop the situation and claim that their report only made matters worse. Allegedly, the general manager began to make lewd sexual comments of his own. Red Lobster claims that once the situation was brought to its attention, the manager was terminated.
The women had a complaint filed on their behalf by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The restaurant chain will be paying the women $160,000, as well as notifying the public in regards to the settlement. Furthermore, the company's employees will be given training about anti-discrimination laws. All workers in Florida and elsewhere deserve to work in environments that are free from sexual harassment. Those who feel that they have been victimized and have not received resolutions to their complaints may decide to move forward and pursue legal actions.
Source: delaware1059.com, "Sexual Harassment Lawsuit Settled by Red Lobster in Salisbury", Kelli Steele, April 30, 2015