Unethical Behavior in the Workplace

Unethical Behavior in the Workplace

In this article, Christopher Baxter discusses allegations by Carol Gabel, a former executive of the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce, that she was repeatedly sexually harassed by a group of men during her work. Gabel also described incidences in which she was degraded by then-governor Donald DiFrancesco. Gabel reported the behavior when it occurred. However, she claimed "in the suit the chamber never took her complaints seriously despite a policy against sexual harassment, and that she was underpaid compared to her male colleagues. She said she developed anxiety, depression, hypertension and headaches, and took disability leave.

She was later told that she was fired because her position was eliminated, though she claims in the suit that she was dismissed for speaking up" (Baxter 2011).

Sexual harassment is a serious ethical issue and it goes beyond the simple quid-pro-quo demands for sexual behaviors that were often regarded as the only type of sexual harassment. Instead, it covers any sexually-based behavior that is used as a means of discriminating against a person, and not just behavior that overtly threatens a person's job. "Sexual harassment occurs when: 1. A supervisor demands sexual consideration in exchange for a job benefit; 2. A coworker makes unwelcome sexual advances on another worker in the form of pressure for dates, stalking, love letters, or phone calls; 3. The activities or behaviors by one or more employees create a hostile work environment that might include pranks, jokes, or comments of a sexual nature, or allowing sexually explicit posters and magazines to be kept in general work areas" (Gordon & McBride 2012, p85).

In order to determine whether Gabel's claims are sufficient to support allegations of sexual harassment it is important to look at what type of behavior she alleged and determine whether they qualify as demands for sexual consideration, unwelcome sexual advances, or a hostile work environment. It certainly appears that the behaviors that Gabel allegedly experienced, if true, would qualify as sexual harassment if only because of the creation of a hostile work environment. Gabel alleged that the executives that supervised the chamber fostered a culture of intoxication which led to a sexually hostile environment. This environment, in turn, led to specific incidents of unwanted sexual advances. For example, her supervisor asked her about her breast cup size one drunken colleague called her asked her to come to his hotel suite and dance on a piano, the governor ogled her breasts and, at another time, asked her on a date (Baxter 2011). More significantly, when Gabel complained to her supervisors, they did not intervene in the harassment. Instead, one of her supervisors allegedly threatened to fire her and referred to her as a "minnow swimming with sharks" (Baxter 2011). She was told that was simply part of working with male lobbyists.