Analyzing the Internal Relationships

¶ … sexual harassment and its negative impact on workplace. Many companies in past have faced the incidence of harassment due to which the company image was also negatively affected. Certain preventative measures and policies can help the companies maintain a safe and harassment free workplace for all workers. VICTIMS RIGHTS MOVEMENT Issue Description Sexual harassment is one of the most disturbing issues faced in the workplace.

This creates many negative impacts on employees, such as -- it weakens gender equality and enforces costs on organizations, damages the comfort of men and women and also affects the quality of work performance. International Labor Organization has set a common principal in order to encourage better working conditions for all the employees at work. However, sexual harassment in workplace is a big hurdle towards this objective (McCann, 2005). U.S.

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has described 'Harassment' as "undesirable act that is based on sex, pregnancy, color, race, religion, origin, age (40 or older), disability, or inherited information. It is an unwelcome sexual behavior that is conducted with a purpose to disrupt an individual's self-respect and generating a threatening, degrading, unfriendly or destructive environment" (Hejase, 2015). 2. Significance of Sexual Harassment affecting Workplace Productivity Sexual harassment in workplace can have adverse effects on individual's work performance, mental health and stress levels.

Employees who get affected may look for other job, remain absent from workplace or avoid performing certain tasks. They also tend to show negative behavior towards their fellow workers or management. Lower group productivity may also take place if even a single member of a group is being harassed (Lunenberg, 2010). According to the research, other negative outcomes of harassment include employee absence, decreased job satisfaction and confidence, job loss and weakening relationships with fellow workers. Based on the self-report survey data, it is reported by the U.S.

Merit Systems Protection Board (1981, 1987) that thousands of women have gone through physical or emotional breakdown because of sexual harassment. In another study it was reported that 63% of the women who have asked for help from the Working Women's Institute suffered from physical stress. However, 94% women had to go through emotional suffering because of sexual harassment (Crull, 1982). 3. Case Study: Sexual Harassment at Infosys -- The Case of Phaneesh Murthy (2001) A case of sexual harassment was experienced in U.S.

offices of Infosys that is one of the India's most reputable and esteemed software organizations in October 1999 - December 2000. The event came into limelight in India when Phaneesh Murthy (Phaneesh), who was the Head of the Sales and Marketing, and Communication and Product Services division of Infosys (and a Director on the Board), resigned from his job in June 2002. His resignation was the result of a legal action which took place against him by his previous secretary Reka Maximovitch (Reka) in United States.

The lawsuit stated that Phaneesh had not only sexually harassed Reka but also sacked her illegally. After Phaneesh left, organization's share price fell rapidly by 6.6%. This incident had captured media in a large scale as it was rare case of harassment by a senior person in Indian business world. The event also made other Indian companies to start taking action on such issues in workplace. In India, sexual harassment was widespread which was either overlooked or never reported.

The victims were either threatened or not speak and were afraid to lose their jobs. Infosys's attitude towards that incident has created a negative image of the company who was reflected to be an example of corporate governance. Infosys was blamed by the media reports for belittling the matter and not implementing a regulated policy concerning sexual harassment and for undermining ethical values, which in a way favored such an important-position holding executive (Sexual Harassment at Infosys, 2014). 4.

Best Practices to Follow to Avoid the Negative Effects of Sexual Harassment numerous approaches that can be implemented by the managers to handle sexual harassment and creating a productive and safe workplace (Lunenberg, 2010). i. Create a No-Tolerance Policy Employer should declare the policy that should state that they would not tolerate sexual harassment or any kind of discrimination at workplace. ii. Spread the Policy Widely Both the employer and employee should have easy access to the policy that is effective for a productive.