Employment Relations Act 2000

Personal grievances, disputes, and enforcement - Personal grievances

108: Sexual harassment

You could also call this:

"When someone at work asks for sex or does unwelcome sexual things that upset you or affect your job."

You are sexually harassed at work if your employer or someone representing them asks you for sex or sexual contact. This can happen if they promise you better treatment at work or threaten you with bad treatment if you do not agree. They might also threaten your job.

You are also sexually harassed if someone at work subjects you to behaviour that is unwelcome or offensive, and this behaviour affects your work or how you feel about your job. This behaviour can include using sexual language, showing sexual pictures, or physical behaviour of a sexual nature. This can happen even if you do not tell your employer how you feel.

You can also be sexually harassed by someone you work with or a client of your employer, as described in section 117, and this is also considered sexual harassment for the purposes of sections 103(1)(d) and 123(d).

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM60340.


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Part 9Personal grievances, disputes, and enforcement
Personal grievances

108Sexual harassment

  1. For the purposes of sections 103(1)(d) and 123(d), an employee is sexually harassed in that employee's employment if that employee's employer or a representative of that employer—

  2. directly or indirectly makes a request of that employee for sexual intercourse, sexual contact, or other form of sexual activity that contains—
    1. an implied or overt promise of preferential treatment in that employee's employment; or
      1. an implied or overt threat of detrimental treatment in that employee's employment; or
        1. an implied or overt threat about the present or future employment status of that employee; or
        2. by—directly or indirectly subjects the employee to behaviour that is unwelcome or offensive to that employee (whether or not that is conveyed to the employer or representative) and that, either by its nature or through repetition, has a detrimental effect on that employee's employment, job performance, or job satisfaction.
          1. the use of language (whether written or spoken) of a sexual nature; or
            1. the use of visual material of a sexual nature; or
              1. physical behaviour of a sexual nature,—
              2. For the purposes of sections 103(1)(d) and 123(d), an employee is also sexually harassed in that employee's employment (whether by a co-employee or by a client or customer of the employer), if the circumstances described in section 117 have occurred.

              Compare
              • 1991 No 22 s 29