ALT-1 Sexual Harassment in the Workplace
Sexual Harassment in the Workplace
Section 1: Analysis
Sexual harassment in the workplace continues to be a significant problem in contemporary society among both female and males to varying degrees due the underlying complex communication issues and lack of understanding. I am going to first talk about the significance and implications of sexual harassment in the workplace. Then I will talk about how the definition of sexual harassment is not clearly defined because its definition is often too simplistic for the complex issues concerning around sexual harassment. I will also talk about how sexual harassment is defined by both males and females in different ways, and how they are affected by it in different ways.
Although many do not believe it, "sexual harassment is a reality in the workplace" that arises out of ignorance, to complement, or to embarrass or out power another individual (Reardon, 1995). Females in the workplace have increased over the years, causing a necessary change and understanding of professional communication between males and females (Reardon, 1995). There is an obvious need for change and understanding in the way males and females communicate in the workplace when one looks at the recent sexual harassment statistics. According to The United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), there were more than 13,000 charges of sexual harassment in 2004 (Winkelmann, 2005). Sexual harassment can also make it impossible for people to focus on their work, which can, in certain jobs, have serious safety implications (Winkelmann, 2005). Sexual harassment within an organization can often breed a culture within an organization that is accepting of sexual harassment, or more prone to sexual harassment, which can often make the problems worse (Dougherty, 2004). Sexual harassment has a significant impact on an organization because it not only hinder employment opportunities, morale and job performance, but it can also impede on the productivity of an organization, in addition to causing countless lawsuits that could cost the organization millions (How to Respond and Combat Sexual Harassment , 2005).
The issue of sexual harassment not only affects the individual employee, but it affects the organization itself. For a lot of people, their jobs become a part of their definitions of self, and if their job breeds a hostile environment due to sexual harassment, ones self worth can be lowered (Reardon, 1995). When looking at the implications sexual harassment has had in the workplace, one should look to most reports and statistics that show how sexual harassment occurs within workplaces with a male-harasser and the female as the target in most cases. Sexual harassment not only affects organizations, but it also affects individuals, and to a greater extent females and because it has such a great impact on both the organization and the individual, it needs to be dealt with in an effective way, because it obviously will not solve itself. Although sexual harassment has become more visible since the mid-1980s to the early-1990s, it is still a significant issue today, because sexual harassment still exists, and possibly to a more complex degree (Dougherty, 1999).
The first way to effectively help in the prevention of sexual harassment, is to provide both male and females a clear definition of what sexual harassment is, and what exactly the definition means. The main reason that sexual harassment has become such an issue within organizations, is that not everyone knows what constitutes as sexual harassment because the issue is so complex, and the definition can be both too broad and too narrow (Landau, 2003). Even though there sensitivity about this issue has increases, there still is much confusion about what sexual harassment really is (Stoddard, 2000). The legal definition of what sexual harassment is defined by the EEOC. They define sexual harassment as:"any unwelcome advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal physical conduct of a sexual nature constitute as sexual harassment when 1) Submission to such conduct is made explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of an individual's employment 2) Submission to or rejection of such conduct by individual is used as a basis for employment decisions affecting such individuals 3) Such conduct has the purpose or effect of substantially interfering with an individual's work performance or creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive work environment "(Sexual harassment in the workplace, 2002).
Although the definition is pretty straightforward, "the interpretation of what behaviors constitute sexual harassment is much more complicated and is the basis of many problems" (Reardon, 1995). Even with legal definitions, and a legal history of sexual harassment, it still is difficult to characterize sexual harassment due to its complexity (Reardon, 1995). A lot of people believe that sexual harassment is about sex, although research shows it is more often about power (Reardon, 1995). The type of communication that is typical of sexual harassment usually involves putting someone in a one-down position or showing how the harasser has more status or power over their target (Reardon, 1995). The best way to understand sexual harassment is with a more complex understanding of it and how it is diffused throughout the culture of the organization (Dougherty, 2004). Although problems in communication about sexual harassment, such as its definition, is often blamed as the reason sexual harassment happens, it is surprising to know that most people, both male and female, already recognize what constitutes as sexual harassment and what does not (Market, 1999). One additional issue added to this though, is that both men and women seem to define sexual harassment slightly differently (Dougherty, 1999). Most people already understand what is called the quid pro qou definition of sexual harassment, which is when someone sexually pressures the other person to engage in sex in order to keep their job or get promoted (Market, 1999). The key issue that remains about what exactly constitutes as sexual harassment is the complex issues behind ambiguous communication (such as dirty jokes, or comments about one's sexual life) that often creates a hostile environment in the workplace (Market, 1999). Definitions and more complex understandings need to be made for ambiguous communication, such as dirty jokes, in the workplace, in order for there to be a complete understanding of what sexual harassment constitutes for both genders.
Sexual harassment is very complex as mentioned previously, especially concerning the differences in how it affects both females and males. According to Dougherty (1999) "men and women experience and construct sexual harassment in organizations differently." In order for a manager to effectively deal with sexual harassment, they need to understand how both genders understand sexual harassment. There are many external and contextual differences between men and women within organizations, which calls for understanding for both gendered experiences in organizations (Dougherty, 1999). Because our society is gender-stratified, male and females both experience things differently due to the different roles they are assigned (Dougherty, 1999). Because these differences are not innate, but socially constructed, there is hope for change (Dougherty, 1999). For both males and females, power and fear plays an important role in their construction of sexual harassment, although both of their standpoints are very different (Dougherty, 1999). Females have different understandings and views about sexual harassment. Females tend to label more behavior as sexually harassing compared to men, they see harassing as normal because they have encountered it so frequently in their life, and fear that by resisting sexual harassment they may reconstruct the already patriarchal environment to be more encouraging to sexual harassment (Dougherty, 1999). Males tend to label less behavior as sexually harassing, see harassing as normal because they tend to believe that "power, sexuality, and communication are inextricably tied", and fear that by labeling behavior as sexual harassment they are giving females power over them (Dougherty, 1999). Another issue is that studies show females have been sexually harassed, far more than males, and when it does happen to males, they tend to see it as less offensive or stressful (Bingham, 2005). According to Dougherty (1999), "because men and women do not understand each other's standpoints on sexual harassment, a gap exists between men's and women's understanding of what sexual harassment means". This causes a lot of problems with overcoming sexual harassment, because it creates a large gap in the communication between genders on the subject. In order to understand the complexity of sexual harassment, one needs to understand both viewpoints about sexual harassment, and to create sexual harassment policies that include both viewpoints and education that narrows the gap of understanding (Dougherty, 1999).
Other issues regarding genders, has to do with relationships within the workplace and whether they perpetuate sexual harassment. Over the past decades, romance in the workplace has been increasing (Lee, 2001). Although workplace romance has its benefits, that are more severe drawbacks. This causes drawbacks when coworkers wish to express interest in someone at work, because it forces them to walk a fine line between showing affection and showing "inappropriate sexual interest", especially if one of the people in the interaction is a superior (Lee, 2001). Some of this interest is shown by touch, which can be seen as very ambiguous to most people within the workplace (Lee, 2001). Because of this ambiguity, when one wants to show affection to one another they need to do so in a way that is not harassing or inappropriate. This may be easier said then done though, because again, a lot of people do not clearly understand what behavior, especially regarding touch, is inappropriate or not.
Sexual harassment is a complex issue that needs to be made clearer to both genders. Sexual harassment has many negative implications for both genders if interpreting wrong. In order for more effective communication regarding sexual harassment, a better definition needs to be made that incorporates both genders' views of sexual harassment (Landau, 2003). Sexual harassment is not a biological behavior, but is a socially constructed behavior (Landau, 2003). It is necessary for the employers in organizations to "provide education and guidance to facilitate eradication of this destructive behavior" (Stoddard, 2000).
Section 2: Solutions to Sexual Harassment
There are several solutions to sexual harassment in the workplace, although none of them are guaranteed to solve the entire problem. There are four proposed solutions that are made available to organizations to take into consideration, such as legal solutions to sexual harassment, changing the organizations culture through better communication, defining ambiguous communication in order to provide more effective sexual harassment prevention training, and to use a nonviolent confrontational method that helps to make the harasser aware of how their communication is harassing.
One way that organizations try to prevent sexual harassment is by first trying to avoid sexual harassment lawsuits, rather than avoiding a hostile environment for their employees, there is a significant roadblock they hit when preventing sexual harassment in the workplace (Sexual Harassment in the workplace, 2002). From a legal standpoint, there are several steps to take to avoid sexual harassment, although their view is based around avoiding lawsuits, rather than helping to breed a less hostile workplace environment. Their solution is to:1) have a clear sexual harassment policy that communications a zero-tolerance policy, 2) provide different routes employees can take to file complaints, 3) conduct sexual harassment training, 4) conduct yearling meetings with supervisors in order to review the sexual harassment policy and making sure that they understand clearly what sexual harassment is, 5) conduct a yearly anonymous sexual harassment survey among employees, in order to keep on top of preventing sexual harassment 6) treat same-sex, and female to male harassment the same as male to femaleThe problem with this solution though, is that it focuses more on saving the organizational from lawsuits, rather than from helping an individual through sexual harassment. Although some of their methods, such as conducting training, and making sure that supervisors recognize the definition of what sexual harassment means, is a method that communication experts would also recommend.
Although it is important for an organization to prevent lawsuits, it is more important on changing the culture within the workplace to prevent sexual harassment from perpetuating in the future (Dougherty, 2004). To approach this issue more effectively, regarding communication, there needs to be a more complex understanding of sexual harassment and how it should be diffused throughout the organizational culture (Dougherty, 2004). Sexual harassment is constructed by all members of the workplace not just those involved in the harassing, and some organizational cultures perpetuate sexual harassment more than others (Dougherty, 2004). The cultures within the workplace need a new way of dealing with sexual harassment, such as changing the communication within the culture. Without changing the culture through communication, the culture will likely perpetuate and resist the understanding of sexual harassment (Dougherty, 2004). This can be seen in the fact that sexual harassment has not decreased since its prominent exposure, but has only increased. This shows that something needs to be done to change the culture within the workplace and its way of dealing with sexual harassment.
Another communication solution to sexual harassment is through reducing ambiguous communication. Although sexual harassment is prevalent, both men and women know what overt sexual harassment is, therefore training to teach these are quite insignificant, and quite frankly, unnecessary, (Dougherty, 2004). According to Market (1999) "pinpointing specific areas where communication is especially ambiguous, educators and trainers can focus their resources and dramatically reduce sexual harassment in the workplace". Organizations need to focus on giving effective training to minimize the problem of sexual harassment caused by ambiguous communication, rather than focus on the problems of sexual harassment that most people already know. Once one focuses on training for sexual harassment caused by ambiguous communication, one can effectively use their resources for further reducing sexual harassment in the workplace (Market, 1999).
Another proposed solution to sexual harassment is not based on preventing harassment exactly, but focuses more on remedying the situation when sexual harassment occurs (Langelan, 2005). Because "achieving justice under the law can be a long, frustrating process" feminists have developed a way to use "'nonviolent confrontation' tactics to deal with harassers" (Langelan, 2005). They propose some suggestions one should use when faced with sexual harassment:1) Describe out loud exactly what the harasser is doing, stating the behavior, the principle and a direct command. 2) Interrupt harassers with: "Stop harassing women. I don't like it- no one likes it. Show some respect." 3) Make an ABC Statement: When you do A the effect is B, and I want C from now on. 4) Jot it Down: Write down what the offender says for documentation. 5) Ask a Socratic question: "Can you explain to me why you think you can put your hand on my leg? 6) Speak up for yourself, and even when you aren't necessarily the target, by saying: "I don't want to hear that." 7) Stick to your own agenda by not allowing someone to repeat the harassing behavior by repeating that they need to show you some respect and stop this behavior 8) Find allies within the workplace that are friends with the harassers, and have them tell the harasser what they are doing is wrong 9) when others are being harassed stand up for them also, by telling them that you don't want to hear what they are saying (Langelan, 2005).
This proposition to stop sexual harassment where it lies, is said to surprise the harasser, and usually results in an apology from the harasser (Langelan, 2005). When using this method though, one needs to remember to "stay clam (no insults, sarcasm, cursing or yelling), stand tall, make eye contact, and use a matter-of-fact voice" (Langelan, 2005). They also recommend that one should not smile, otherwise they may undermine their message, and they should keep their "statement brief, honest, serious and specific" (Langelan, 2005). Their last recommendation is to not forget that by standing up against sexual harassment, you are "simply defending a basic human right: the freedom to work without sexual abuse" (Langelan, 2005).
Section 3: Workshop to Prevent Sexual Harassment
The workshop that I have designed is for adults in the workplace, in a business setting. The goal for this workshop is to help eliminate sexual harassment in the workplace, by first teaching how to prevent sexual harassment. The reason that most people do not know how to deal with sexual harassment is because they do not know what exactly sexual harassment is, and how to ask about it. To solve this problem, I would begin this workshop by giving out anonymous surveys to everyone in the workplace I am dealing with. This survey would ask people if they have any questions regarding sexual harassment, or if there is anything they would like to know but do not know about sexual harassment. I would also have a quiz in this survey to measure what they do know about sexual harassment and what they need to learn about sexual harassment. I think this survey will help to see how much training needs to be done, and allows for more effective training, so more time can be spent on issues dealing with sexual harassment that are ambiguous to workers in workplace, rather than on issues they are already aware of. I think this survey is also a benefit because a lot of people are embarrassed to ask questions about this topic, and through an anonymous survey, they do not have to feel embarrassed.
The second part of this workshop would consist of focusing on the questions people had about sexual harassment. Here the workshop would help define sexual harassment, provide ways to prevent it, avoid it and eliminate it. It will give various acceptable reactions, solutions and ways with dealing with the issue in a way that is clear, direct and comfortable. This will be in a open-minded environment, with participation, testimonials, and educational videos that stage situations where sexual harassment may occur.
The third part of this workshop is designed to provide several ways to report sexual harassment and let the workers know what their rights are concerning sexual harassment. I think that this is a big issue with a lot of people in the workplace, not knowing what their rights are exactly about sexual harassment, so this would help to reduce fears for people who feel they may get falsely accused someday and also for the people who fear that may be sexually harassed. A lot of people do not know ways in which to go about reporting sexual harassment, and don't understand what their rights are concerning the negative repercussions that sexual harassment can sometimes put on a worker. This will teach the worker that they should not receive negative repercussions for reporting behavior that creates a hostile or uncomfortable environment for them, due to sexual harassment. This will provide them with the strength, and knowledge to stand up for themselves if they ever encounter sexual harassment.
Lastly this workshop will provide the workers with ways in which to deal with situations where sexual harassment comes up. If they do not feel comfortable with reporting it, or do not believe in the justice system, this workshop will provide ways in which to confront the situation effectively without having to deal with it. It will teach the workers how to confront offenders in a non-violent effective way, so that if any sexual harassment occurs, they can instantly stop it in its tracks. Even though this workshop is designed to prevent sexual harassment, it is still necessary to show how to eliminate sexual harassment if it occurs despite precautious measures to prevent it.
Overall, this workshop is designed to prevent, educate and eliminate sexual harassment in the workshop through open-communication, education, and effective strategies. This workshop will not waste workers time on obvious sexual harassment advice that over 95% of people already know, as research indicates (Dougherty, 2004). This will cover the areas that people do not understand, and will help to enforce ideas that they already know.
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