Executive Summary
This research paper provides research and analysis of what factors contribute to sexual harassment in the work place and how companies can minimize it. The research draws attention to the overwhelming amount of sexual harassment that takes place within the American workforce and how businesses are coping with this issue. Organizations are facing many challenges with trying to figure out ways to minimize these issues within the work place. Further investigation of these issues shows that the most prominent of these obstacles is power. Studies showed that people are far more likely to commit an act of sexual harassment if they are in a place of power within an organization. When this occurs it can negatively affect performance and cohesion within the work place as a whole. Recognizing sexual harassment and reporting it is beneficial when it comes to preventing it from happening again but companies now need to focus their attention on how to prevent it in the first place.
The paper addresses a several articles and journals in which sexual harassment has been and is an issue in the workplace. The greatest challenge facing an organization is the preventive measures taken to make sure that there place of work is a safe and healthy one for every member involved. In a survey taken within one of my chosen articles, it stated that 80 percent of the some 9,000 women that responded to the survey reported being sexually harassed at work, while in total about one fifth of American adults have experienced sexual harassment while at work.
In an analysis of the situation, it is found that the power, gender, and sex are all important factors when it comes to the contribution of sexual harassment in the workplace. The amount of power someone holds, and whether or not they are in a minority group within the workplace tends to greatly affect the chances of them being the victim of harassment. All my findings throughout my research lead me to making two recommendations for management in hopes of better educating themselves and the work force, to make it a healthier and safer place for all workers to learn and prosper.
Introduction
When you think of the future and what you will be doing as work you tend to think you will be doing what you love and will be happy at your job. Being a woman in the workforce and aiming for great success and leadership in today’s society can be seen as a threat to the entrenched male leadership already in place and as a result, women are particularly vulnerable as targets for harassment. We tend to see as more women enter the work force in more male idealized roles and share workspace with the opposite sex, that sexual harassment occurs with greater frequency. Sexual Harassment has been an ongoing issue in the workforce since women branched out and took on new roles in society. A great deal of research has been focused in figuring out what factors contribute to sexual harassment when at work. The biggest one is authority and power. Preventing sexual harassment in the workplace would improve job satisfaction, motivation, and success within the company. Throughout my paper the question that I am trying to answer is, what factors contribute to sexual harassment in the work place and how can companies fix it? My hypothesis is that the more women that take on powerful roles of leadership, the more sexual harassment takes place in the work place. In others words there is a correlation between the number of women moving into powerful roles and the number of occurrences of sexual harassment that take place throughout society as a whole.
Literature Review
The following review of literature contains the analysis of six different sources that pertain to my research question. The first source gives a general picture of what Sexual harassment is and why it is such a growing problem within the work place. The second source focuses more upon current issues within today’s society. The third shines light upon how power can create more sexual harassment during work. The last three sources all focus on preventative measures and what companies can specifically do to minimize it.
Workplace Sexual Harassment 30 Years on: A Review of the Literature
This article focuses on five specific issues having to do with sexual harassment within the workplace. The first section talks about what sexual harassment is in general. The second part is being focused upon how and why sexual harassment occurs. Thirdly, it states characteristics and research on the harassers and victims. Within the fourth section it talks about the setting in which Sexual harassment takes place and the grievance management process. Lastly, the final section shines light upon what needs to be investigated further and what knowledge we still lack in this area. In this Journal it stated, “American estimates indicate that 40–75% of women and 13–31% of men have experienced workplace sexual harassment (Aggarwal and Gupta 2000).” (Mcdonald, 2012, pg 3.). The sheer number of occurrences and number of people affected clearly demon starts that this is a widespread societal problem and not a rare, isolated issue.
Why does it occur? A main point made throughout this journal was the connection of sexual harassment and empowerment. In this publication it stated that, “[…]the problem is more prevalent in organizations characterized by larger power differentials between organizational levels […]” (Mcdonald, 2012) and also stated that, “A framework called the outrage management model accounts for the strategies used by harassers, proposing that, when powerful individuals behave in a way that others perceive as unjust, they use one or more of five tactics to dampen outrage (Scott and Martin 2006)” (Mcdonald, 2012, pg. 5). These are two different instances where power creates a problem. One being that places that have kind of a pyramid of power the problem is bigger and the other being that when powerful people do commit wrongful acts they use five tactics to get out of it. Those five tactics include; Cover up, devaluation, reinterpretation, official channels, and intimidation and bribery. To help with this ongoing issue companies have put in place policies and procedures in hopes to educate their employees. It states, “In response to the problem, organizations have produced policies and collective agreement clauses, issued guidance on complying with laws, provided training, and introduced sexual harassment complaints procedures (McCann 2005).” (Mcdonald, 2012). By doing this, it is with great hope that they can start to prevent sexual harassment from happening as well as, in an attempt to create a safe and organized way to stop it from happening again.
Workplace Sexual Harassment: Will the latest charges lead to a shift in corporate culture?
Lately, we as a country have been exposed to more sexual harassment cases, especially when it comes to sexual harassment appearing within the workplace. One huge reason that this has been happening more frequently is because of Hollywood. The amount of people coming forward against some of the most powerful and well-known people in the industry and using their social pedestal to set an example for everyone, has empowered women to come forward and to no longer be afraid, because they no longer feel alone, but rather feel bolstered and supported by their fellow victims, as well as the positive response of others. This article, “Workplace Sexual Harassment: Will the latest charges lead to a shift in corporate culture?” published by CQ Press and written by Sharon O’Malley focuses upon sexual harassment in the workplace but more specifically focuses upon recent cases within Hollywood. Many hope that this will be the “[…] turning point in the decades-long battle to change corporate culture so that sexual harassment in no longer tolerated.”(O’Malley, 2017).
As a result of the large number of high-profile stories in the news and lawsuits being brought against companies, many of the human resource departments within companies are now reevaluating their techniques and attempting to address what they need to change. For example, “Human resource managers are beginning to evaluate whether anti-sexual harassment programs might be more effective if they focused on teaching employees to avoid and respond to all types of inappropriate and uncivil behavior rather than simply on teaching them the technicalities of anti-harassment law.” While this is all good, the article goes on to state that, “[…] businesses increasingly are requiring employees to sign arbitration agreements that forbid them from taking sexual harassment claims to court, a practice some women’s rights advocates say helps perpetuate the behavior.”(O’Malley, 2017). Although many changes are being implemented, clearly there is still a very far way to go.
Another interesting point that was brought up throughout this article was the fact that women are leaving sciences, which is typically a male dominated area of work, due to sexual harassment. In a study of 474 male and female scientists it was concluded that 79 percent of women reported sexist remarks from peers and 44 percent said they heard them from supervisors. (O’Malley, 2017). This is clearly an example of how many women decide to stay quiet about sexual harassment due to the harasser being in a more powerful position. The article also states that nearly three-quarters of people who have been victim to sexual harassment at work never come forward to report it. As a result, companies are teaching employees who witness or learn about the sexual harassment happening in the workplace to report it on the victim’s behalf, saying “[…] it is OK not to intervene and to offer a confidential way to report misconduct.” (O’Malley, 2017). By having this in place you are assuring the safety of every person involved, while also assuring bystanders and witnesses that it is okay if they did not feel comfortable to intervene but yet are still able to come forward and report it in hopes to prevent it from happening again in the future.
Sexual Harassment, Workplace Authority, and the Paradox of Power
Power and authority, gender, and sex are huge factors when it comes to when and why sexual harassment occurs in the workplace. Mclaughlin, Uggen, and Blackstone formulated 3 different hypotheses in which they researched: the first being, “Females holding workplace authority positions (i.e., females who supervise others) are more likely to experience sexual harassment than are females who do not hold such positions.” The second is, “Gender nonconformity (i.e., more feminine behavior for males and less feminine behavior for females) is associated with an increased risk of sexual harassment.” and the last one is, “Sexual harassment will be greater in industries and occupations characterized by a higher proportion of male workers.” (McLaughlin, Uggen, & Blackstone, 2012). To test and answer these hypotheses they used both qualitative and quantitative measures. They found that the first study was the most correct in which they found that power and authority does play a huge role in how often sexual harassment occurs. It specifically states that, “Consistent with our quantitative analyses, the women we interviewed provided concrete examples of how their supervisory status led to harassment.” ( McLaughlin, Uggen, & Blackstone, 2012). Meanwhile, in the second and third hypothesis they came up with mixed support in both areas of gender conformity and the amount of males within a work place having an effect upon the amount of sexual harassment within an organization.
Preventing Workplace Sexual Harassment
In the publication, “Preventing Workplace Sexual Harassment” written by Heather Broadwater it focuses its attention upon a telecommunications firm and how they are trying to prevent sexual harassment from happening and why it is important to do so. It is very important when it comes to preventing sexual harassment in the work place because it can have far-reaching implications, including negative publicity, lost productivity, and legal liability. Employers and the organization are held legally liable when it comes to any issue involving harassment. It specially mentions how if an employee is wrongfully terminated due to the fact that he or she denied a supervisor’s advance, they could then be held legally responsible. This is why a set of steps needs to be in place at all times so that these types on incidences are handled responsibly and correctly. The most crucial step to preventing sexual harassment in the work place is to make sure that there is a written policy in place that defines sexual harassment and explains the process of reporting allegations.
Creating and implementing a policy against sexual harassment, training employees and managers on the policy and process, and promptly investigating and addressing any reports of sexual harassment can go a long way toward preventing sexual harassment claims and minimizing employer liability when such claims arise. Taking these steps, and holding employees accountable for any sexually harassing conduct, will help establish a workplace culture that minimizes sexual harassment.
How To Prevent Sexual Harassment in the Workplace
It is extremely important within an organization to put in place specific guidelines in hopes to prevent sexual harassment from occurring. In this article “How To Prevent Sexual Harassment in the Workplace”, written by Deidre Takeyama and Brian Kleiner they stated four main ways an organization can help to prevent sexual harassment from happening. They say that companies need to have written policies in place that can help everyone involved stating how harassing behaviors will not be tolerated, including clear instructions about filing complaints, stating that complaints will remain confidential, and that no consequences will come from complaints, and finally, stating that anyone engaging in sexual harassment will face discipline which could potentially include termination. By doing this, the employer is communicating to each and every person within the organization what the guidelines and consequences would be, as well as what is and what isn’t tolerable within the culture of the company.
In the article it states that the most effective method for reducing sexual harassment is educational training. This publication discusses how, “Training should be mandatory for all employees.” (Takeyama, & Kleiner, 1998). It discusses that within this mandatory training it should cover federal and state laws, examples of how to deal with different situations, and case studies should be gone over and discussed. Another thing that they mentioned was that, “[…] participants should have the opportunity to practice interpersonal skills in various challenging situations.” (Takeyama, & Kleiner, 1998). By doing this you are training employees in such a manor that if they find themselves in a questionable situation having to do with sexual harassment they know how to react to make sure they do not cross any professional boundaries within the workplace. With this training method in place, organizations are able to prevent sexual harassment before it even happens.
Implementing Business Ethics: Sexual Harassment
An interesting point made within the journal, “Implementing Business Ethics: Sexual Harassment”, written Karen Crain and Kenneth Heischmidt, was that one factor according to psychologists as to why sexual harassment occurs is because men and women perceive it differently. In the article it states that, “For men it is usually strictly an issue of sexuality; for women it is an issue of power.”(Crain, & Heischmidt, 1995, pg. 305). It is proven through studies that people tend to sexually harass others within the work place in order to exert their own power and minimizing that of the victim. It is discussed, “It is easy to understand how role power, the power associated with one’s title or position in a company, could give one employee the ability to sexually harass another.” (Crain, & Heischmidt, 1995, pg. 305). This is due to one-person feeling threatened by the position of another.
Similarly to the previous two articles, this one also focuses upon preventing sexual harassment but more importantly talks about what companies can do to minimize sexual harassment in the workplace. Within this journal article written by Karen Crain and Kenneth Heischmidt they made two main suggestions when it comes to preventing and taking action against sexual harassment. The first suggestion is for companies to have a program in place to prevent sexual harassment and the second it have a complaint procedure in place. Both of these preventative measures are extremely important when it comes to work place harassment. Having a program in place to prevent sexual harassment such as, written policies and educational training are hugely important when trying to educate employees on the importance and the severity of sexual harassment. Secondly, having a complaint procedure in place will help people come forward within organizations and report sexual harassment. By not having these simple yet crucial resources available within a company, the company face greater loss from legal sexual harassment lawsuits. Isn’t his a repeat of the last one – is there any difference?
Synthesis of Literature – 3 main findings what you found and what they are actually saying
Throughout all of my research, I have identified three main findings. The first one was that I found that power and authority within the workplace is in heavy correlation with how often sexual harassment occurs. People tend to sexual harass others as a way to embarrass them and diminish their victim’s power while increasing their own.
Secondly, I have found that gender role within the office can trigger sexual harassment. Going hand in hand with my first finding women, who are of a higher status tend to be harassed more than women of a lower status within the workplace. This is typically due to men feeling threatened by women or feeling less masculine since they are of a lower status than female work colleagues.
Lastly, it was found that when sexual harassment occurs within a workplace it creates an intimidating and hostile environment to work in. Along with that it affects the performance of employees.
Conceptual model
As seen above in my conceptual model it shows how if a business or organization took preventive steps to educate employees on sexual harassment will help to prevent it from happening. To know for sure if these strategies are truly effective when it comes to preventing and minimizing sexual harassment in the workplace there would have to be more research completed. In the article, “Workplace Sexual Harassment 30 Years on: A Review of the Literature” they stated that, “Critical in developing effective prevention strategies, yet under-researched, are questions around the underlying processes of SH, including the characteristics and motivations of harassers (Berdahl 2007; McCann 2005; Quinn 2002; Willness et al. 2007). Quinn’s (2002) qualitative work on ‘girl-watching’ begins to address such questions by demonstrating how men recognize behaviors in SH policies while at the same time objectifying and attenuating empathy in refusing to see their behavior as harassing.” (Mcdonald, 2012, pg.11). If and when sexual harassment does occur an organization then needs to make sure that they are have a reliable and safe complaint procedure where employees are able to come forward. Along with that having a set of steps in place can assure employees that the individual will have consequences, as well as, assure that they are working in a safe and healthy environment. Lastly, in a safe and healthy environment employees are better able to form organizational relationships and are better focused, therefore, their work ethic and motivation is higher.
Recommendations for Management
After completing all of my research I have a couple of recommendations for management. My first recommendation would be to lead by example. A lot of what I have spoken about throughout my paper has been connected back to power and authority. So if the people within the position of power show respect for one another and hold themselves responsible and do not abuse their power, people below them that look up them for guidance will tend to do the same. To assure that management is taking their own advice having a routine audit in place committed by an outside committee or board of people would be greatly beneficial. By have an outside committee or board of people who do not report to them or who are separate from them to review any claims against them to eliminate the threat of jeopardizing someone job by complaining about management would make the work environment stronger, and less stressful for all parties involved. Along with this having an audit in place, there should also be a mechanism in place to curb their power, and have a process for subordinates to complain about them without repercussion.
Another recommendation for management would be to make sure employees know about and are heavily educated about the actions and consequences of sexual harassment. One major issue about sexual harassment is that sometimes the individual does not know that they are committing it, so by educating employees about what can be considered sexual harassment and train them how to deal with certain situations you will be able to prevent avoidable sexual harassment claims.
Conclusion
Sexual harassment presents a large issue within organizations when it comes to the organizational relationships within the workplace. It is extremely prevalent in the workforce today within the United States. This trend is on the minds of all organization’s mangers due to its inappropriate and dangerous nature. The effects of sexual harassment are directly dependent upon the management style of the organizational leaders and the gender, sex, and power within a work place. If prevention techniques are correctly applied within organizations and a new corporate culture is developed correctly then it can change the lives and the way a business performs greatly, but if ignored, it will lead to a devastating outcome.