As the Ontario Human Rights Commission’s Policy on Preventing Sexual and Gender-Based Harassment points out:

The reference to comment or conduct “that is known or ought reasonably to be known to be unwelcome” establishes a subjective and objective test for harassment. The subjective part is the harasser’s own knowledge of how his or her behaviour is being received. The objective component considers, from the point of view of a “reasonable” third-party, how such behaviour would generally be received. Determining the point of view of a “reasonable” third-party must take into account the perspective of the person who is harassed.

Harassment, sexual or otherwise, is any unwanted conduct, whether verbal or physical, that humiliates or offends. Harassment can interfere with the ability to do your work, and thus can result in serious consequences in the workplace.

Sexual harassment, in particular, has been defined as:

“unwelcome verbal or physical advances or suggestions of a sexual nature, any sexually explicit derogatory statement, any pattern of sexually discriminatory remarks made by someone in the workplace that is offensive or objectionable to the recipient, causes the recipient discomfort, creates a hostile atmosphere, or interferes with the recipient’s job performance.”