Sexual Harassment in the Workplace

Sexual Harassment can occur in different forms, regardless its' effects can be very devastating for firms, organizations and the individuals involved. The typical opinion of most individual about sexual harassment is limited to a scope of certain sexually related behaviors. However, it actually goes beyond that and is not limited to inappropriate touching or communicating sexually oriented messages to someone who has clearly indicated no interest. Having noted that fact, it is necessary for organizations to make their employees aware of the different behavior that could be tagged as sexual assault, in order to avert the possibility of such events. On the other hand, sexual harassment is a crime according to the law in most developed countries, therefore, it is punishable under the law. If sexual harassment is not strictly contained in a workplace, then some workers might find the workplace environment uncomfortable or hostile, which might result in their resignation. Furthermore, organizations are sometimes held responsible for the work behavior of their employees. Therefore, an organization might be liable to pay fines or compensation in the court of law, in the event of a sexual harassment case. Fostering healthy work relationships and behaviors is directly important to the success of any organizations. However, it is also necessary to acknowledge the fact that some employees might end up being romantically involved in the workplace based on either individual consent to the relationship. Therefore, it is necessary for organizations to put into consideration all the possible factors that can foster good relationships among employees and mitigate the possibility of sexual harassments. The joint effort of corporate organizations and the government is essential for preventing sexual harassments and its effects in workplaces, and the society at large, without preferential treatment to a specific group or gender.

Understanding Sexual Harassment in the Workplace

According to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, sexual harassments might include unwelcome sexual advances, a demand for sexual favor, and other physical and/or verbal expressions of a sexual nature. Furthermore, workplace harassment could involve persons of the same, or different sex in a workplace and unpleasant remarks about an individual's sexual orientation and sex. Harassment is deemed illegal when it is noted to occur frequently or results in severe and serious consequences, such as an offensive, and/or hostile work environment. Sexual harassment or workplace harassment is also considered to have serious adverse effects when they result in detrimental employment decisions, such as a demotion, resignation, and termination of an employee. Ontario Human Rights Commission identifies sexual harassment as a form of discrimination based on sex. As a result, when someone is harassed at work, his/her sense of personal dignity. Furthermore, organizations that do not take necessary measures towards the prevent sexual harassment are at the risk of having a workplace with low employee morale, reduced productivity, potential legal expenses, and employee absenteeism. it is also known that uncontrolled sexual harassment can result or escalate into violent behavior at work. According to a study conducted by the Australian Human Rights Commission (2014), men are reportedly the harassers in four out of every case of sexual harassment. On the other hand, the study also indicated that the number of sexual harassments cases involving a man harassing another man is on the increase. Yet some employers might be unaware of the fact that harassment of different sorts is present within their organization. Therefore, while emphasizing the fact that a safe working environment that is free from sexual harassment is a basic human right that employers must ensure in workplaces. Elizabeth Broderick, the sex discrimination commissioner for the Australian Human Rights Commission (2014) acknowledged that employee unions, employers, and employees must find a way to combine efforts and work towards preventing sexual harassment in workplaces.

The impact of Sexual Harassment in Workplace and Work Environment
Sexual harassment is a psychological stressor with very significant consequences. Most victims of sexual harassments express the lack of job satisfaction (Schneider et al., 1997). More importantly, sexual harassment has been proven by different studies to have physical and psychological negative well-being effects on harassed employee (Schneider et al., 1997). As a matter of fact, thousands of female federal employees experienced physical and emotional deterioration as a result of sexual harassments at work during the late 80's (Schneider et al., 1997). Another study conducted by the Working Women's Institute noted that sixty-three percent of women who reported cases of sexual harassment expressed adverse physical symptom and ninety-four percent experienced emotional distress as a result of the harassment experienced. According to Schneider et al. (1997), sexual harassment has a negative psychological effect on personal good-being, satisfaction with life and gradually symptoms of posttraumatic stress.
According to McCann, (2005) persons subjected to sexual harassment experience nervousness, irritation, miserable work life, anger and sometimes humiliation. Some victims subsequently become either psychologically or physically ill after being sexually harassed for a long period of time by a superior at work. The effect of sexual harassment is not limited to the individual being harassed. In fact, sexual harassment can result in distraction (McCann, 2005). Therefore, a distracted employee would have a cloudy or feeble judgment with work related activities. Furthermore, sexual harassment in workplaces can result in the collapse of an effective team, if a member of the team begins to harass the order, subsequently, the two would not be able to contribute to work fully as they ought to (McCann, 2005). Employers may lose talented and valuable potential employees through sexual harassment by asking them for sexual favors in return for a lucrative job position. Ultimately, organizations that do not put in place the necessary measures for preventing sexual harassment in their workplaces stand the chance of incurring financial costs in the event of a sick leave arising from sexual harassment in the workplace, and legal fees in the event of potential charges in a court of law (McCann, 2005). After the enactment of the Equal Employment Opportunity Act, more women suffered sexual harassment at their workplace, intentionally to frustrate them until they had to quit their jobs. Such a situation implies that sexual harassment is also a form of discrimination against women since men are known to perpetrate a reasonably large amount of the workplace sexual harassments cases reported on a regular basis (McCann, 2005).

At this stage, it is obvious that sexual harassment is a problem and many researchers have addressed the effect of sexual harassment as such. Therefore, one can agree that only negative effects are related to sexual harassments as identified, all of which are associated with devastating consequences. Although a majority of sexual harassment victims are women, other groups of persons that have been identified through reports to experience sexual harassments include men, gay, and lesbians without specific reference to their nationality. The recognition of men being victims of harassments at their workplaces did not gain research or legislative attention until recently. However, some countries and legislatures do not recognize the possibility of men being sexually harassed, others have sexual harassment laws that are applicable to both men and women. In some countries, there are specific sexual harassment laws added to existing ones as an effort to adjust sexual harassment laws to cover men. The issues surrounding same-sex harassment and the authenticity of such claims are usually controversial and questioned. However, this does not imply that same-sex sexual harassments do not occur. On the contrary, a study conducted by the Austrailian Human Rights Commission (2014) discussed cases that involved same-sex workplace sexual harassment and the consequences of such incidents. Each of the victims of the same-sex sexual harassment was paid a compensation according to the amount specified by the court. These cases confirm the possibility and existence of same-sex sexual harassments.
It has been noted that some individuals with supposed or actual lesbian, gay, or transgender sexual orientations are treated differently at work and sometimes sexually harassed. If it is appropriate to identify sexual orientation discrimination and its consequences, with or as sexual harassment, then the workplace discrimination perpetrated against people with non-traditional sexual orientation based on their sexual orientation can be regarded as sexual harassment. Burns & Krehely, (2011) discussed the issue of transgender, gay and lesbians experiencing harassment and mistreatment at their workplaces. In conjunction with their discussion was the case of Vandy Beth Glenn, a Georgian General assembly Employee, who got fired by her boss after he found out she was transgender (Burns & Krehely, 2011). As a result of the increasing discrimination that often ends up in harassments and unfair treatment towards persons with non-traditional sexual orientation, it is necessary for the federal government to create laws that will protect the interest of those affected (Burns & Krehely, 2011). However, some states in the U.S already have laws and policies in place for addressing sexual orientation discrimination.

Prevention and Control of Sexual Harassments in the Workplace

Training and Raising Awareness:

Different states, legislative bodies, and organizations create policies and initiatives that are aimed at increasing employee awareness about sexual awareness. Regardless of size and complexity, every organization must have sexual harassment policies that are practical enough to avoid the possibility of sexual harassments in the workplace. The Sex Discrimination Act is one of the most available government laws initiated to protect men and women of the workforce from sexual harassments irrespective of their sex or sexual orientation (Australian Human Rights Commission, 2014). The adoption of preventive measures is considered one of the most effective approaches towards stopping sexual harassment in the workplace. The following strategies are effective for preventing sexual harassment in a workplace.

• Fostering a healthy and safe work environment;
• Prioritizing respect among employees of all sexes and sexual orientation;
• Organize and engage employees in training/educational initiatives to create awareness about sexual harassment;
• Creating and implementing sexual harassment policies (Australian Human Rights Commission, 2014).

Furthermore, employees of all ranks and levels within the organization must be aware that sexual harassment would not be tolerated under any circumstance. Some company develop sexual harassment policies but pay less attention to whether or not sexual harassments take place within the organization. As such, sexual harassment policies may remain unimplemented. Therefore, it is necessary for Employers to create awareness about the necessity to report cases of sexual harassment so that those harassed can feel free to come forward and report such incidents for further investigation (Australian Human Rights Commission, 2014). Implementing a sexual harassment policy simply means that anyone who does not adhere to the policy would ensure disciplinary actions. Disciplinary actions should also be prompt to make sure that other employees can learn from those disciplined. On the part of the government, there is a lot that has to be done to make sure that organizations are complying with laws that protect people who are at the risk of potential sexual harassment.

RECOMMENDATIONS

For Organizations:

Employers must learn to value the safe and healthy work environments because until they do so, they might not understand or take seriously the need to prevent sexual harassment in workplaces. Employers must educate their workers about sexual harassment and its consequences (Australian Human Rights Commission, 2014). Employers should make sure that all employee has a copy of the sexual harassment policy. Employers should encourage employees to make reports about sexual harassment incidents. Encourage and emphasize the value of respect among employees. No member of the organization should be exempted from disciplinary actions, in the event of an investigated and proven sexual harassment (Australian Human Rights Commission, 2014).

For Government:

The government should create laws that will mandate all organizations to have a workplace sexual harassment policy. The government also needs to set up assessment committees at the state levels that would visit workplaces to review potential sexual harassment and unreported related cases through an employee survey, in order to fish out organizations that rarely pay attention to sexual harassment cases. The government should create more practical awareness about sexual harassments in the workplace by distributing free publications that address the issue of sexual harassment. Having a fixed date set aside as the "Sexual Harassment day will surely make a difference in the level of awareness that would be generated towards the issue.

Benefits of Recommendations

The benefits of the recommendations provided above, are vast and may vary in context from one organization to the other. However, one thing is for sure, employees who used to be at risk of being sexually harassed or intimidated would come to work feeling secure and confident to carry out their work-related tasks and duties. Employees who enjoy harassing other employees would restrain from the act, as long as they know and remember that there is a punishment or disciplinary action associated with violating the organization's sexual harassment policies. Educating employees about sexual harassment provides them with the ability to recognize and acknowledge the potential harm associated with sexual harassments. It is known that individuals might quit their jobs as a result of recurrent and unbearable sexual harassment (McCann, 2005). Therefore, organizations who take their sexual harassment policy seriously would be able to retain the fine talents they already have. If the government would collaborate with organizations to rid workplaces of sexual harassment, there is a huge chance that the reduction of sexual harassments can directly cause a reduction in sexual assaults. However, the more aware people are about how their work behaviors can make fellow employees uncomfortable, the easier it would be for them to adjust their behaviors for the benefit of others.

Conclusion

In conclusion, sexual harassment in the workplace is a problem that can jeopardize the productivity of affected employees, which also reflects on the progress of the organization as a unit. Sexually harassed individuals also stand the risk of being emotionally stressed out, physically and psychologically ill. Furthermore, it is the full responsibility of an employer yo ensure that an employee's right to a safe working environment is upheld. Therefore, training/educating employees about sexual harassment and its consequences is one of the best ways to initiate awareness about it in a workplace. Preventing sexual harassment is not a one-man task, as such it requires the joint effort of both the members of an organization, decision-makers of the organization and the government to protect workers from potential sexual harassment. The joint effort of corporate organizations and the government is essential for preventing sexual harassments and its effects in workplaces, and the society at large, without preferential treatment to a specific group or gender.

References

Australian Human Rights Commission, Ending Workplace Sexual harassment: A Resource for Small, Medium and Large Employers, Australian Human Rights Commission, retrieved from: http://www.humanrights.gov.au/sites/default/files/document/publication/EWSH_2014_Web.pdf
Burns, C., and K., Krehely, J., (2011), Gay and Transgender People Face High Rates of Workplace Discrimination and Harassment: Data Demonstrate Need for Federal Law, Center for American Progress; Retrieved from: https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/lgbt/news/2011/06/02/9872/gay-and-transgender-people-face-high-rates-of-workplace-discrimination-and-harassment/
McCann, D., (2005) Sexual Harassment at Work: National and International Responses, International labor Office - Geneva, International labor Organization; Retrieved from: http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/@ed_protect/@protrav/@travail/documents/publication/wcms_travail_pub_2.pdf
Schneider, k. T., Fitzgerald, L. F., Swan, S., (1997), Job-Related and Psychological Effects of Sexual Harassment in the Workplace: Empirical Evidence From Two Organizations, Journal of Applied Psychology, American Psychological Association, 82(3), 401-415;Retrieved from: https://www.brandeis.edu/investigate/teenSH1/PDFarticles/Schneider-et-al_Job_Related_and_Psychological_Effects_of_Sexual_Harassment_in_the_Workplace_1997.pdf
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, (n.d.), Sexual Harassment, EEOC; Retrieved from: https://www.eeoc.gov/laws/types/sexual_harassment.cfm

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