Week 9: The Apartment

The main topic of quid pro quo in The Apartment is when C.C. Baxter lends his apartment for a few hours to his bosses, who are having an affair with other women in the company. “Managers should use zero-tolerance harassment policies to take action even for offensive conduct that does not meet the legal standard of a harassing environment. The reason is that even mild forms of harassment that go unchecked can disrupt an operation through decreased morale and productivity and increased employee turnover” (Hayes, David K. Human Resources Management in the Hospitality Industry, 1st Edition. Pg. 355. Wiley, 02/2008. VitalSource Bookshelf Online). There were also a few instances of sexual harassment, including one of the male workers spanking the elevator operator on the butt with a newspaper. The employees were also victims of favoritism. Many employees were able to move up due to managers liking them, while other employees who had seniority had difficulty moving up. "From a legal perspective, if harassment is established under the quid pro quo version, the employer automatically is liable and will be held accountable for whether or not steps were taken to correct the situation. In contrast, an employer's liability in a hostile work environment case must be established by showing not only that the harassment occurred, but also that the employer did not take appropriate action to stop it." ” (Hayes, David K. Human Resources Management in the Hospitality Industry, 1st Edition. Pg. 355. Wiley, 02/2008. VitalSource Bookshelf Online). In the end, Mr. Sheldrick got what it was coming to him.  His secretary that he fired, because she threatened his mistress.  So, the secretary called his wife to meet up with her and inform her of her husband's infidelities.  Fraternizing with another employee was very common in this company, and they didn't seem too care about the day to day happenings of the business.