Sexual Harassment the Environment Within

Sexual Harassment

The environment within a company can become hostile and embattled based on the nature of the relationships between employees. The organization is also cognizant that the work place dynamics may facilitate sexual harassment (O'Leary-Kelly, Paetzold, & Griffin, 2000). The policies of this company are designed to discourage sexual harassment, and protect victims who seek redress. All forms of harassment are incongruent with the objectives, philosophy, and policies of this organization. The following document will define sexual harassment, discuss the major concepts of sexual harassment, and provide examples of behavior that may constitute such harassment. It is the hope of the Human Resource Department that all employees will strenuously avoid this insidious and divisive behavior.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) defines sexual harassment as any "unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature" (Preventing sexual 2010, para., 2). Additional conditions define sexual harassment, such as, cases where the individual is invited to submit to conduct of a sexual nature (this invitation may be implied or expressly articulated) for employment, or where the rejection of an advance forms a foundation for decisions regarding the future progress of the employee in the organization. If the behavior unreasonably affects the employees performance at work or engenders a hostile, intimidating or offensive work environment this may also be classed as sexual harassment (Preventing Sexual, 2010).

There is a difference between sexual harassment and sexual discrimination. Sexual discrimination refers to all wider discriminatory behavior based on the gender of the employee. This behavior is not required to be directly related to sexual innuendo or activity to be discriminatory. Any practice that creates preferential treatment based solely on gender is sexual discrimination. Using a person's gender as a basis to deny that person a promotion, a job, or benefits, discriminates against that person. While sexual harassment is not limited to a specific gender, women often experience harassment more frequently than their male counterparts do (Welsh, Carr, MacQuarrie, & Huntley, 2006). Sexual harassment is a subset of sexual discrimination; it is a type of sexual discrimination.

There are two categories of sexual harassment "quid pro quo" and the hostile or offensive work environment harassment (Welsh, 1999). When an employee is the victim of administrative personnel actions such as being fired, receiving a pay cut or being passed over for promotion and other actions of this ilk. If the action is because of the employee's decision to reject sexual advances (implicit or explicit) this is a case of "quid pro quo" sexual harassment. A manager may offer to hire the child of an employee for the summer if the employee engages in sexual acts with the manager. Another example of this may occur between employees from different tiers of the organization such as a general manager who advises on promotions and a supervisor. If the general manager makes unwelcomed sexual advances toward the supervisor and the supervisor refuses to acquiesce, and is subsequently by passed for the promotion; this is another case of sexual harassment.

A "hostile" or "offensive environment" sexual harassment, exists where an employee or several employees continuously make lewd comments, suggestive noises, unwanted sexual advances, or sexually related behavior that interferes with the performance of duties or makes another worker feel intimidated or threatened (Preventing sexual, 2010, Howard-Martin, 2002). Employees have more difficulty identifying this type of harassment and therefore it is more problematic to address (Icenogle, Eagle, Ahmad, & Hanks, 2002). It occurs where an employee endures catcalls and other comments about their manner of dress. If the comments are unwelcomed and incessant, the action of these employees becomes sexual harassment. Another example of this type of behavior also relates to the act of continuously asking a colleague out on dates or giving personal gifts. The key elements here, the behavior or action must be continuous, unwanted, and powerful enough to transform the work environment into a hostile place.

Once those elements are present, there is a case of hostile work environment sexual harassment. However, if the individual does not feel harassed by the behavior then it is not considered as harassment. Since a component of harassment involves the individual finding, the act unwelcomed. The company's policies provide a mechanism for all acts of sexual harassment to be reported, and all such reports are treated with the respect and seriousness such a report demands.