Sexual Harassment in the Workplace

Sociology

The Impact of Workplace Sexual Harassment on Employees and Employers

Sexual Harassment (SH) is a subject that has made its way into the normative, professional lexicon. SH used to be a topic that was not taken seriously because it was a part of the workplace environment that was normal and was not subject to punitive consequences, though there are occasions that are exceptions to the rule. SH is a subject that must be taken seriously by every employee or member of an organization. SH is a subject that must be taken seriously on the individual level and on the organizational level. SH directly affects fundamental aspects of a place of employment, no matter the industry. Prevalent, pervasive, and even sporadic SH in the workplace serves as a destructive force from within and from without.

There is no workplace environment that exists that will never have one instance of SH. This does not mean that employers and management cannot be hopeful that they create a work culture and they construct a workplace environment that identifies SH. This kind of ideal work environment would be prepared for any and all reported or documented instaces of SH. SH composes a number of actions and behaviors that can be and are committed by persons of various sexes, sexualities, and genders. This is to say that SH can be committed by human beings, not just certain kinds of people, such as heterosexual males.

When SH occurs in the workplace, the detrimental effects will occur on the individual and organizational levels.

Sexual harassment is considered an ethical as well as a legal problem…It continues to occur in a wide variety of organizations…In addition, sexual harassment has negative effects on victims' job satisfaction, stress levels, and mental health. Harassed victims also may be more likely to withdraw from the workplace by being late or absent, avoiding certain tasks, or looking for another job…Harassed victims also tend to have negative attitudes toward their supervisors and coworkers…Regardless of employees' individual sexual harassment, being a member of a work group in which sexual harassment occurs results in lowered group productivity… (Lunenburg, "Sexual Harassment," P. 4)

SH is something, that once, committed, will send shockwaves through the workplace, affecting different areas. Areas such as the work culture, the productivity or output of the organization, and the health of employees are often directly affected by SH. The impact of SH on the workplace and on employeees is one that is very powerful, and very often harmful to the organization and the individual in the long-term. The negative consequences or force of SH in the workplace can potentially spread to other people, moving through the organization like a disease that rots the body from the inside out. In an instance of SH, there is the perpetrator(s), and the victim(s). There many be other people involved in the incident(s), such as those who enable or promote the SH to happen; there might be others who have observed the SH happen who are unknown to the parties directly involved; and there may be other people who cohabitate with the victim(s) and/or perpetrator(s) of the SH who feel the affects, too. There more parties involved in a case of SH than meets the eye.

Besides those persons just described, incidents of SH affect all members of the workplace where the SH occurred. Other employees are made aware that this kind of behavior is occuring at the workplace and that this kind of behavior has specific formal and informal consequences at the workplace as well. Reported or known incidents of SH at the workplace may inspire other would-be perpetrators to go forward with their actions, in the cases where SH is promoted, condoned, or otherwise not penalized. Contrarily, reported or known incidents of SH at the workplace may deter would-be perpetrators if there were public and private consequences for the perpetrators, as well as support services for the victim(s).

Some of the assertions in this paper may seem intuitive or logical to some readers. Other readers may be more skeptical. There is in fact research that supports and substantiates statements made in the paper regarding the potential for widespread problems in an organization as a direct result of inadequately preparing for and handling incidents of workplace Sexual Harassment.

Knowledge on reactions to sexual harassment sheds further light on a process that can trigger job dissatisfaction, performance declines, turnover, and health impairment among employees…If organizations seek to employ global and diverse workforces, and intervene in cases of harassment prior to escalation, we recommend that they explore novel management strategies that are accessible across cultural groups…managers who supervise employees from different backgrounds may benefit from culturally sensitive training related to sexual harassment…counselors who understand the social, emotional, and occupational sequelae of harassment experiences and grievances should be available to help employees cope. With effective, culturally responsive mechanisms in place to manage sexual harassment, employees may be more likely to seek assistance before the situation spirals into one that causes serious harm. (Cortina & Wasti,"Profiles in Coping," P. 190)

Victims of SH will be affected physically. People already have general feelings of stress when it comes to their professions, even in the cases where people enjoy what they do, are personally fulfilled or satisfied, and are moderately to exceptionally monetarily compensated for their work. Victims of sexual harassment often experience painful physical consequences as a result of the sexual trauma experienced at work. Victims of sexual harassment additionally feel emotionally affected and have detrimental psychological effects as a result of the harassment. They may feel sadness and depression. There may be increase anxiety, fear, anger, and helplessness. There may be feelings of resentment toward the perpetrator(s) and toward those who did not help the situation improve or resolve. Whatever the physical and psychological effects are, they will like affect the victim's ability to do his/her job well. Poor job performance may be noticed by the victim's supervisor or colleagues, which may result in additional stress and psychological "wear and tear."

Workplace SH are actions that require attention and are not to be quickly dismissed. Workplace SH is an example of a workers' rights violation. Workers/employees have the right to a safe work environment. Safety not just apply to a person's physical safety, such has having functional smoke alarms, sprinklers systems, and unobstructed exits in the workplace. Workplace safety includes physical, emotional, and psychological safety. It is not a legally or ethically safe work environment.

Sexual harassment is a serious infringement on the rights of employees within an organisation and victims are forced to deal with unpleasant and humiliating experiences, which often result in emotional and psychological trauma. Furthermore, sexual harassment creates an offensive, intimidating and hostile working environment for the victim, which ultimately impedes productivity and social interactions within the organisation. Perhaps, the most frequently asked question about sexual harassment tries to determine which specific behaviours constitute sexual harassment. Much research to date, has actually been removed from the issue of sexual harassment by focusing more on the entire spectrum of sociosexual behaviour at the workplace… (Ramsaroop & Parumasur, "The Prevalence and Nature…," P. 25)

SH can be words, comments, and jokes. It also includes body language, and physical contact. Workplace SH is arguably a low-level form of rape, as it includes unwanted advances and specific threats -- violations of personal space and personal comfort as it specifically relates to sexuality and sexual activity. Sexual Harassment is something that occurs across many cultures, probably nearly all of them. This does not mean that Sexual Harassment looks the same or is defined in the same ways. What constitutes SH in one culture may not necessarily constitute SH in another culture. Defining what constitutes SH in a workplace is quite important for a number of reasons. Even the process of defining SH for a workplace takes significat attention, time, research, and work. Defining SH is not as simple as people may think. Culture is relative. Acceptable expressions of sexuality are relative -- that is, they are not the same from person to person and culture to culture. There are numerous factors that must be taken into consideration when defining workplace SH, including the kind of culture that the employer wants to create and provide for employees, as well as awareness of the various kinds of cultures the employees are coming from or are a part of outside of the culture of the workplace. Cultural considerations should be made during the hiring process and over the course of a person's term of employment -- or at least these considerations should be and will be made in companies that are concerned with the health and safety of their employees as it relatest to workplace SH.

As most people who have real world experience in the professional world know, there are companies that tolerate all kinds of moral, ethical, legal, and immoral, inethical, and illegal behaviors of employees. There are good companies and bad companies. There are good people and there are bad people. Within the confines of the workplace environment, management should be keenly aware of how SH impacts the individual and the organization, and how the relativity of culture plays a significant factor in the defining of SH, in addition to the execution of behavior codes regarding SH. Sexuality is a powerful and sensitive subject for most individuals and in most cultures. Sexuality is a subject that affects people on the individual and organizational (culture, society, etc.) levels, just as SH is a topic that affects a place of employment on the individual and organizational levels. This similarity is yet another reason why when SH happens in the workplace, it cannot be ignored or easily dismissed. SH is something with the potential to cripple an organization.

One of the greatest resources that an organization has are the people who compose or make up the organization itself. One of the best ways to keep a business organization strong and thriving is to keep the employees safe and as happy as possible within the workplace environment. The people who work in an organization, the employees, they are an important part of the infrastructure of a business. There are many organizations and corporations that do not agree that taking care of the safety and welfare of their employees is profitable or worthwhile, yet there are those companies, both large and small that understand and benefit from the practice of providing a safe and healthy work environment for their employees. To such companies and organizations, SH is not an occurrence that is tolerated or taken lightly. It is not a subject that gets joked about and there is a system in place that will identify, explain, document, resolve, and support all parties involved in the SH.

Sexual Harassment is a form of bullying. Bullies can be large or small, male or female, straight or gay. Bullies often have suffered some form of abuse in their pasts, often in their childhoods and adolescences. Bullies hurt and shame others because they have been hurt and shamed themselves. This is yet another reason why Sexual Harassment is an important issue that requires attention and care. Both the perpetrator and victim of SH are in need of assistance. Though it must be made clear that the perpetrator's actions cannot and will not be tolerated in the workplace environment, the perpetrator should not be completely dehumanized. Their actions are often a result of unresolved personal issues that are manifesting in a negative and destructive manner. Each person, at some point in his/her life, has been guilty of engaging in behaviors that have been negative or destructive. In this way, we cannot completely ostracized humiliate a person who commits an act of workplace SH. That person needs help and support just as the vicitm of the actions needs help and support.

Sexual Harassment is a form of disobedience. Every business organization and place of employment has a standard or code of behavior. At every workplace, there is an expectation of what kinds of behavior are acceptable and unacceptable for the workplace environment. There are forms of disobedience, misbehavior, disruption, and rebellion that are not detrimental to an entire organization. There are even forms of these forms of deviance that can be helpful and rejuvenate people and/or an organization -- cases when disruption and rebellion are examples of innovation and progress. Workplace Sexual Harassment is an example of employee deviance that proves to be anything but helpful.