A Los Angeles-based provider of call center services will pay $600,000 to settle a sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission announced Monday.
The EEOC filed suit in Los Angeles federal court against VXI Global Solutions last year, alleging that at least nine female and male employees — primarily African American and Hispanic — endured a hostile work environment created by more than a dozen others, including supervisors of both sexes, the federal agency said.
A representative for VXI Global Solutions could not immediately be reached for comment.
The EEOC alleged that female employees were subjected to unsolicited groping and touching, constant or continued sexual propositioning, and offensive comments of a sexual nature by male supervisors.
The agency also contends that male employees were subjected to repeated sexual advances with descriptions of proposed sexual activity, unwanted lap dances and physical rubbing by female supervisors. Male employees who refused to participate were targets of unlawful gender stereotyping when they were accused of being gay because of their objection to the harasser’s behavior, according to the EEOC.
Supervisors also allegedly threatened and intimidated the staff to prevent complaints, while attempts to report the harassment to human resources personnel were stymied by a lack of availability, the agency said.
“Sexual harassment continues to be a persistent problem in the workplace and a priority for EEOC,” said Rosa Viramontes, district director for EEOC’s Los Angeles office. “Workers should not have to endure a hostile work environment because of their sex which, if unchecked, is a violation of federal law.”
After VXI Global Solutions’ supervisors and/or human resources personnel were eventually advised of the harassment, several of the alleged victims were subsequently disciplined and terminated in retaliation, the EEOC said.
In addition to the monetary relief, VXI Global Solutions agreed to retain an equal employment opportunity consultant to revise the company’s policies and procedures with respect to sexual harassment and retaliation, and to provide training in those areas to all employees nationwide along with additional training for management and human resources personnel on how to effectively deal with such complaints, according to the EEOC.
The company also agreed to maintain a centralized system to track internal sexual harassment and retaliation complaints, conduct surveys at company sites in Los Angeles and elsewhere and to post a notice on the matter at the Los Angeles site, the federal agency said.
— Wire reports