Sexual Harassment

PREVENTING SEXUAL HARASSMENT AT WORK

INTRODUCTION

Sexual harassment is unwelcome or unwanted sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, or verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature. This can include and is not limited to sexual remarks, brushing up next to the body, staring or commenting about the body, and insulting sounds or gestures. Federal law has two different kinds of terms used for sexual harassment. One is Quid Pro Quo, in general, it's when a person of authority demands a sexual favor of an employee as a condition to get or keep a job. The other is a Hostile Work Environment, this happens when a co-worker, customer, or vendor provides an unwelcome and inappropriate sexually based behavior. The behavior is harsh enough to make the workplace hostile or offensive. Most victims of sexual harassment are female and most harassers are male, however, the number of sexual harassment complaints filed by men has more than tripled in the last few years. Approximately 11% of claims involve men filing against a female according to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Other forms of discrimination, based on race, age, religion, or disability, may be combined with an incident of sexual harassment.

Sexual harassment has consequences to the victim, the victim's family, those that have witnessed it, and society overall. Being sexually harassed at work can lead to different problems. One may have to request for a change in their department or leave there job entirely. People can experience depression, stress, and a loss of self-esteem which can affect ones ability to concentrate on a task. It can be hard to communicate with other employees or have a relationship of any kind with them. On the other hand, companies can lose good employees, suffer a loss of productivity, and damage a company's reputation. Studies suggest that between 40-70% of women and 10-20% of men have experienced sexual harassment in the workplace. Approximately 15,000 sexual harassment cases are brought to the EEOC each year. Sexual harassment in the workplace is a serious event. By ignoring the situation or assuming it will stop on its own, one is leaving the offender to approach others in the office.

Purpose, Scope, and Limitations

The purpose of this report is to educate people to recognize and handle sexual harassment appropriately when it occurs in the workplace. As an employer or employee, one has a responsibility to maintain a workplace that is free of sexual harassment. Not only is it a legal obligation, but it is good business ethics. If someone allows sexual harassment to spread in the workplace, it will cause poor employee morale, low productivity, and lawsuits. Statistics will be shown to provide the seriousness to the issue. Mainly, this report will provide some current prevention methods and show insight to other possible solutions. This report may not be a single solution to the problem or lead to the eradication of sexual harassment at the workplace.

Sources and Methods

In preparing this report, I used guidelines assigned by my professor from a sample handout titled "Reducing Africa's Brain Drain". I collected the research from various internet sources including information from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC.gov) and information related to practical advice and solutions for problems from About (About.com). Additional information has been disclosed based on personal experiences with sexual harassment in the workplace prior to this report.

Report Organization

This report demonstrates the negative impact of sexual harassment in the workplace. It recommends other suggestions to current methods of prevention and implies other ideas to resolve the problem.

IDENTIFYING SEXUAL HARASSMENT AT WORK

When attempting to identify the problem, remember that normal mutual attraction between co-workers is not to be interpreted as sexual harassment. It does not occur when a behavior is mutually acceptable between the parties involved.

Qualifying criteria can be sex related comments made to employees about there physical appearance. Whether the comments are positive or negative, they can be misinterpreted by the receiver. Inappropriate jokes, forms of whistling, and obscene gestures can be considered sexual harassment. Though it may seem playful to do around members of the same sex, one may not know if it offends someone within a particular group. Someone may be homosexual and consider the remarks offensive. With that said, homophobic harassment is also condoned at work. It is best to stay clear of homosexual remarks at work period. At some point, employees may establish a closer relationship than merely just co-workers. They may socialize outside of work which is acceptable, but it is important to leave this kind of behavior outside of work. This kind of behavior at work could lead to persistent questions or insinuations about a person's private life and cross the line with other employees.

There are other forms of harassment that may be found at work that can be considered inappropriate contact with another employee. Deliberate and unwanted physical contact like kissing, patting, or brushing up against someone else's body is not tolerated. Sexually offensive communication of any kind is not acceptable. This may be any kind of letter, telephone call, or any other type of electronic communication. Some employees may want to physically intimidate others, which is more common in males, to achieve a certain goal that he or she may desire. Based on personal experience, two men may be secretly competing for a woman's attention or affection. Keep in mind, this situation may also apply to women. Any type of offensive sexual display is not permitted. This may be a "Hooters" poster in the back office or a monthly calendar with men in just their boxer shorts. A request for sexual favors or sexual assault/violence should not be tolerated.

REASONING BEHIND SEXUAL HARRASMENT AT WORK

Sexual harassment is often motivated by some kind of sexual desire. Sometimes it occurs when a person or group is hostile toward one particular gender, race, or religion. Some people enjoy intimidating others and consider it to be a form of competition and a way to achieve power. Whatever the case may be, sexual harassment is unlawful.

STRATEGIES FOR ADDRESSING THE PROBLEM

A victim should try