Gender-based harassment cases come in many forms. And companies would be well advised to ensure that their antiharassment polices are broad enough to anticipate the issues.

That was the lesson in an important decision issued in September by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. The en banc ruling reversed an April 2012 decision by a three-judge panel, and validated a claim brought by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on behalf of an iron worker named Kerry Woods.