The #MeToo movement was founded in 2006 by a youth worker rattled by a story shared by young girl, Heaven, who approached her privately to talk. She shared intimate details of her traumatising home life which made her stomach churn and left Tarana Bourke (founder) speechless and unable to help. The significance of this moment was the youth worker unable to tell the young girl, me too, that she could relate on a very personal level (Bourke, n.d.). From this the #MeToo movement grew through the viral hashtag and exposed conversations about sexual violence and harassment globally. From creating awareness to attempting to changing the way sexual violence victims are seen and helped, the campaign aims to hold those accountable and inflict lasting change.
Highlighting the wide spread nature of the issue, the #MeToo movement has built a community for survivors and create conversation about the issue. Connecting victims and support is essential as they may not be in a place where they feel safe to speak on their experience (Bourke, n.d.). In the workplace, nearly every two in five women is said to have suffered some form of sexual harassment (Dent, 2018). From a movement support a small community, #MeToo has grown on an international scale and has enabled many vulnerable women to have a voice, share their story and to expose their abusers in the workplace via social media through the use of the viral hashtag.
Sexual behaviour becomes harassment when it is unwanted and offends the victim. It comes in many forms falling under five different categories, verbal, non-verbal, physical. Intimidation and blackmail (Wilson and Thompson, 2001). Workplaces provide the perfect environment for sexual harassment to be fostered and to grow without bounds. It has managed to pollute organisations claiming both male and female victims (Wilson and Thompson, 2001). The presence of workplace harassment can be from motivation to protect sex-based social standing, men being typically the more powerful of the genders (McLaughlin, Uggen and Blackstone, 2012). McLaughlin (2012) also introduces the thought that sexual harassment is due to an abuse of power and reinforcing the masculine dominance of males in the workforce. Thus, sexual harassment can be more aggressive for women working in jobs traditionally done by men (Wilson and Thompson, 2001).
One of the leading impediments combatting the issue is the lack of action taken to report the incidents. Without the correct people in the organisation having knowledge, it is impossible to rectify the situation or make an impacting change (Diekmann et al., 2013). As a result of the failure to report, the harasser does not gain any feedback on how the situation is harmful and the behaviour is inappropriate. There is an internal and mental dilemma faced by suffering individuals as reporting assult may not infact improve their work situation or their job, psychological and health outcomes (Diekmann et al., 2013). There is also the potential to of oppressor retaliation and psychological distress to occur along with further decreases in job fulfilment (Bergman et al., 2002).
Victims, after suffering sexual harassment as faced with impossible dilemma, whether to continue with an assertive response including confrontation or making a formal report which is the path society suggests taking. However, they may chose, for the sake of their job security, chose to tolerate the abuse to avoid public scrutiny, backlash and pressure on mental and physical health. This is where “passivity” takes hold. Although, being passive can not only lead to the abuse occurring or increasing in severity but also reduces awareness and effectiveness in reduction strategies. Ultimately it comes down to whether the victim trusts the internal grievance processes of the organisation enough to feel safe in reporting an issue (Vijayasiri, 2008)
Organisations can be vast in size, have a large number of employees and many difference processes that take place each day. For an employee have a voice or be heard in such a workplace can be difficult. If sexual harassment is encountered the first step should be reporting it. This is where the #MeToo campaign is essential is giving victims a voice when they feel they are not and cannot be heard. It is not only an outlet for the individual but also highlights the wide spread presence of the issue to society and allows the general public to see the impact.
There is difficulty in the ability to monitor the occurrences as often the handling process is informal and very casual (Hunt et al., 2010). It is often concealed by the company in order to protect the image of the business and can be detrimental for the PR image of a company. This is another hurdle when trying to reduce the presence of sexual harassment. With the powerful and impacting nature of the #MeToo hashtag the victims are now able to call out the oppressor on a public scale for everyone to see. There is no escaping the situation for the harasser. The campaign is becoming progressively more relevant since it started. For organisations, it has meant they need to adapt and acknowledge that sexual harassment actually is occurring and that things need to be done to combat the consequences experiences for both the individual and the company. The movement has highlighted the need for procedures and policies to be put into place (Koepke, 2018) or reviews to assess effectiveness of reporting successfulness.
Without the #Metoo movement the importance of implementing anti-harassment policies that work to “protect the organisation” (Koepke, 2018) was not stressed enough. Unfortunately, the wording of that phrase is harmful in itself, as the organisations should not be the focus off protection, rather the victims of harassment. The habit of putting the business priorities first is reducing the effectiveness and importance of making sure the suffers are heard and feel safe to come to work. This could potentially be due to the fact that the employer is liable for the repercussions of harassment if the claims are sufficient not the harasser themselves (Koepke, 2018). This becomes an issue as every person has a different perception of what is harassment and what is acceptable or friendly behaviour. This “grey zone” (Sommier, 2017) borders between harassment and friendly behaviour. This highlights the necessity to establish clearer guidelines for employees and how they should act in the workplace.
Sexual harassment has large and negative costs on the function of organisations. It increases the days absent from work for the victims, reduced job satisfaction, lower productivity, commitment and enjoyment rates. Secondary costs to the business can include legal fees, negative publicity and difficulty for human resources when hiring and retaining employees (Diekmann et al., 2013). Negative publicity can increase the difficulty for human resources when attempting to hire staff (Diekmann et al., 2013) as females do not want to work for a company known to berate and abuse them. Changes to combat sexual harassment can work to reduce the harsh effects on the company but also add value to the business (Feldt, 2018).
Training is another step forward to reduce the severity of the issue. Educating organisational employees about the legality of the issue, consequences, reporting procedures and support services can all work to reduce and create a socially unacceptable view of the situation eventually stamping it out all together with the support of #MeToo. Having men and women working together (Feldt, 2018) as treated equals is also essential to reducing the power struggle which also promoted the need for sexual harassment as a power tool (McLaughlin, Uggen and Blackstone, 2012).
In conclusion, the #MeToo movement is not only relevant but vital for organisations to not only be aware of but to also learn from. Highlighting the importance of employee to addressing the need for clearer and safer policing and procedures to deal with harassment issues. It is concerning that it has to take one viral hashtag created by a woman who suffered abuse herself to go global for organisations to stop turning a blind eye to the issue. Organisations being a breeding ground for sexual harassment, need to realise the role they play in fostering the issue. From correctly training employees, placing a high importance on the workplace culture and a zero tolerance policy all work in reducing the common nature of sexual harassment. A strong shift in focus from a company view to a victim view is paramount for lasting change. Without happy employees and a healthy work environment, a business can not run efficiently. #MeToo has revolutionised how businesses deal with sexual harassment and with more victims finding the strength to speak out. Positive steps forward are being taken to reduce the social silence and tolerance toward sexual abuse in the workplace.