What Sexual Harassment Is
ServSafe Workplace is the National Restaurant Association's harassment-prevention training line for the foodservice and hospitality industries. The foundation of the course is a clear, shared understanding of what sexual harassment actually is, so every team member can recognize it. (Topic groupings and weights on this page are PrepPass study groupings, not an official ServSafe blueprint.)
The Two Forms of Sexual Harassment
Harassment-prevention training teaches two main forms. Quid pro quo (Latin for "this for that") happens when someone with authority ties a job benefit — being hired, promoted, scheduled, or kept employed — to submitting to sexual or romantic conduct. A hostile work environment happens when unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature is severe or pervasive enough that a reasonable person would find the workplace intimidating, hostile, or offensive. Quid pro quo can occur in a single incident; a hostile work environment usually builds from a pattern of unwelcome behavior.
Verbal, Physical, and Visual Conduct
Harassment is not just touching. It can be verbal (comments about someone's body, sexual jokes, rumors, or requests), physical (unwanted touching, blocking someone's path, or gestures), or visual (sexually explicit images, texts, or messages posted or shown at work). Recognizing all three types helps staff spot harassment that is spoken, shown, or done.
"Unwelcome" Is the Key Test
The central question is whether the conduct is unwelcome to the person on the receiving end, judged from a reasonable person's perspective. Good intentions — "it was a compliment," "it was just a joke" — do not make unwelcome sexual conduct acceptable. Training stresses paying attention to how behavior actually lands, not to how it was intended.
Anyone Can Be Involved
A harasser or a target can be a manager, a coworker, or a non-employee such as a vendor or a guest, and people of any gender can be involved. In restaurants, this means harassment from customers must be taken as seriously as harassment between coworkers.