An employee in the finance department (Susan) was promoted recently to supervisor of a unit, which consists of six employees who are friendly with one another and often socialize outside of work. Susan hosts a barbecue to celebrate the promotion and invites all of her former co-workers, whom she now supervises. During the barbecue, Susan tells a couple of jokes about Muslims. Later in the evening, she shares two cartoons that show demeaning caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed. One employee (Emily) is visibly upset by the jokes and cartoons and abruptly leaves the barbecue without saying anything to the supervisor. Over the course of the next few months, the supervisor Susan repeatedly makes derogatory comments about people of the Islamic faith. The same employee who abruptly left the barbecue (Emily) is increasingly uncomfortable with the supervisor's religious statements but is afraid to speak up. Consider the following questions.
1. Could the supervisor’s behavior be considered harassment based on religion, even if the employee in question is not Muslim? Explain in a paragraph.
2. Is Emily required to speak up even if she’s uncomfortable? After all, this is her supervisor that she’d be complaining about. Explain in a paragraph.
3. You are a manager in another department and are close friends with Emily. She confides her discomfort in hearing all of these things from her supervisor. How should you handle that conversation? Explain in a paragraph.
4. Do you have a responsibility to share this information with anyone else? If so, whom, and what would you say in that email?
The answer need to be specific, and necessary steps or decisions ( relevant HR information).