A female supervisor informs a male subordinate that she will promote him from busser to server if he will be her 'secret boyfriend.' What is the legal stance on this situation?

• A. The male employee is being sexually harassed in a quid pro quo situation and has legal grounds for filing a complaint.
• B. If the supervisor were male and the subordinate female, there would be harassment, but this situation is not actionable.
• C. The male employee is being sexually harassed in a hostile work environment situation and this is actionable.
• D. The busser is not only getting a raise but also a 'secret girlfriend.' He is lucky he is not being asked to take a pay cut.

Answer: (A)

Quid pro quo sexual harassment happens when a supervisor uses their position to demand sexual favors in exchange for a job benefit. Here, the supervisor promises a promotion in return for the subordinate’s romantic involvement. A promotion is a tangible employment action, and tying it to a sexual relationship shows an explicit exchange of work advantage for sexual favors. That makes this situation illegal and gives the employee legal grounds to file a complaint. The gender of the individuals doesn’t change the liability—the harassment can occur in any direction when a power dynamic is used to coerce a sexual response. This is a clear instance of quid pro quo, not merely a hostile work environment, and thus is actionable.