Sexual harassment can be an issue in any profession. Healthcare providers might face harassment from their coworkers, while factory employees might experience their supervisor making unwanted advances. Some professions and industries have higher overall rates of sexual harassment because of job responsibilities. For example, those working in the food service industry tend to see relatively high rates of sexual harassment on the job.
Workers may feel like they have to accept sexual harassment because of the culture at a company or the obligation to keep customers happy. After all, their income might depend on how happy their customers are at the end of their meal.
What types of sexual harassment do food service professionals potentially experience on the job?
Front-of-house staff
Customer sexual harassment is a major concern for those who work as servers or bartenders in the food service industry. Even baristas at coffee shops may have to deal with unwanted flirting and sexual advances.
Some people think that the friendliness extended by customer service professionals is actually flirting. They may take things too far and might even inappropriately touch workers. Sometimes, front-of-house staff also face sexual harassment from their coworkers. Teammates could create a hostile work environment or could make repeated, unwanted advances toward them.
Back-of-house staff
Kitchens at restaurants are notorious for creating hostile work environments. Many restaurants have almost exclusively male workers in the kitchen, which means that any women trying to make their mark may face a hostile work environment and/or unwanted advances.
Even male employees may find the crass culture that flourishes in kitchen environments to be inappropriate and offensive. They may feel uncomfortable, especially if their co-workers target them because they don’t seem to be masculine enough.
People working in high-stress environments like restaurants should not have to deal with sexual harassment on top of a demanding job. If they report their concerns to a supervisor, the company should re-educate or discipline co-workers as necessary or assist with abusive customers.
Reporting sexual harassment should lead to restaurant management taking immediate action to correct the issue. If businesses do not properly respond to complaints of sexual harassment, workers may need to consider filing a lawsuit.