Quid Pro Quo Sexual Harassment

Quid pro quo sexual harassment is conduct where a work benefit or detriment is tied to a sexual request. A promotion, a shift, a reference, a contract renewal, or simply being left alone.

The term comes from United States practice rather than Australian legislation, where the conduct falls within the general definition. It remains useful because it names a specific pattern.

The difficulty is evidentiary. It is almost never said plainly. What appears instead is a sequence: a request, a refusal, and then a change in how the person is treated. Shifts reduce, a project moves, a review turns negative.

That means the timeline is often the evidence. Where a complaint follows this shape, look at what changed after the refusal, not only at what was said.

The Australian Human Rights Commission explains the duty. This is general information rather than legal advice.

See Sentrient’s course for managers and sexual harassment course.