Implications of Sexual Harassment at Workplace

You are required to write a review on sexual harassment in the workplace with the current thinking that is available on the subject and prepare that review in the form of a report to the Board of Directors.

Sexual harassment at work place includes any kind of unwanted or unwelcomed sexual advances, any kind of verbal or physical abuse, sharing or abusive or sexual jokes. Unfortunately, this sexual harassment is not uncommon in Australian firms (Connell, 2014). Despite various laws being implemented to prevent the same, unfortunately, there are still various employees who face harassment on a regular basis. The consequences of being harassed are often long term and impact the victim is a sever manner. Moreover, the stigma associated with sexual assault makes it even more difficult for the victim to complain about the perpetrator. The implications of sexual assault are severe and leave a deep impact on individuals. Therefore, as the decision makers of the business, it is our responsibility to ensure that such activities are not only discouraged but severely punishable in the workplace.

This report throws light on various implications of sexual harassment at workplace that directly impact our organization. The report also aims to accomplish and implement certain practices and policies which are expected to completely eradicate sexual harassment from our organization. This will lead to a better brand value of the firm, goodwill among employees and a creation of a hospitable environment for all our employees.

Sexual harassment at workplace has many implications, some short term while some long term which vary depending upon the extent and duration of the assault, mindset of the victim and actions taken against the offender (Australian Human Rights Commission, 2018). Listed below are few major implications of sexual harassment at workplace. As the top management of the firm, it is crucial to understand and identify the effect that sexual harassment can have in the organization and especially on the victim.

Frequent sexual harassment cases in the workplace will lead to a hostile work environment which will refrain people from working with our firm. An employee contributes over 50% of his or her day at the workplace and hence it is crucial that the organizations take responsibility to make the work environment positive, motivating and nurturing for the employees. If sexual harassment frequently occurs in the organization and goes unreported then the work environment at the business becomes negative and depressing which will force employees to be cautious and prudent at all times (The Balance, 2017).

Creating a Positive Work Environment

For every case of sexually assault, there is a severe mental trauma that the victim goes through. Women are the victims in most cases and many women still remember how and when they were assaulted the first time (Javidi & Yadollahie, 2011). Which only goes to show that it becomes impossible for them to delete that particular incidence from their memory. Psychologists have also confirmed that victims of a sexual assault find it difficult to behave normally until a few hours or days of the incidence. This trauma is expected to hamper their personality, emotional strength as well as their performance as an employee of the business (Boyd, 2011).

More often than not if the cases of sexual assault go unreported, the victim is left with no option but to leave the organization and start working at another place. This will lead to a high number of employee attrition if the sexual harassment cases taking place in the organization are not controlled or not severely punished (McDonald, 2012). A higher attrition rate in the business largely affects the overall performance of the organization as the costs of recruiting and training new employees automatically shoots up. This, then results in lower profit margins as well as ruined brand image of the firm.

The increasing number of sexual harassment cases can lead to various problems that will directly or indirectly hamper the brand image of the firm. The news of sexual harassment cases are sure to reach different parts of the organization through grapevine communication (Tarczon & Quadara, 2012). This adversely impacts the brand image in the minds of company’s own employees. It is our responsibility to instil trust among our employees and this trust is largely hampered with such cases.

If a victim of sexual assault or any third person reports the case to the media then there is a consistent threat of defaming of the organization that we must face. It is the responsibility of the media to make sure that the news that they receives a wider audience. This will then lead to a ruined brand image in front of other stakeholders of the business as well.

As decision makers of the business, it is our responsibility to make sure that our organization is a safe place to work for both the genders. The issue of sexual assault in the work place must be taken and responded to with utmost seriousness. It is our duty to make sure that every employee of the business trusts the organization and its working environment (Banyard, 2011). We must also ensure that there is a consistent fear in minds of people and they must not dare to sexually assault any other individual in the work place or outside (Bartol & Bartol, 2014). It is crucial that we instil a culture of open communication as well as trust wherein employees can come forward with their grievances with utmost surety that they will be addressed.

Framing a New Policy and Legal Committee

The first and foremost step that must be taken by our business would be to bring forward and compose an error free sexual harassment policy for all the employees of the company. The policy must be extremely strict and must cover all aspects of the sexual harassment in the organization (McLaughlin, Uggen & Blackstone, 2012). This policy must be circulated to every person of the business to make sure that they are well aware of it. The leaders of the business must make sure that the policy is effectively implemented.

Framing a new policy is an important and very crucial task. The makers of the policy must make sure that all the points are effectively covered and there are no loopholes of any kind. The policy must be strict in nature to be able to instil a fear in the minds of potential criminals (Baird, Williamson & Heron, 2012). The policy must also encourage the victims of the sexual assault to come forward and report their case so that severe action can be taken against the perpetrator. The policy must make sure that there is a scope for complete protection for the victim when he or she comes forward to report the case. This will encourage the victims to report the case which will further ensure that the offenders are seriously punished.

As leaders of the organization, it is important to consistently monitor the workplace in order to create fear in the minds of people against even considering sexual assault. This can be further done by installing cameras and recorders specifically at isolated places inside the office. This would also help us in ensuring that the sexual assault claims by the victims are true and no one is unnecessarily misusing this leverage. The leaders of the business must also be keen and observant in their respective teams and must consistently discourage over friendly behavior whenever they notice it within the office premises by analyzing the difference between sexual harassment versus workplace romance (Mainiero, L.A. and Jones, 2013).  

Open door policy of a business is adopted by many organizations across the globe. While adopting this philosophy, many top leaders of the business leave their office doors open to symbolically represent that they are always available for communication (Docherty, 2015). This makes them very approachable and hence people do not fear reaching out to them in order to issue any grievance. Open door policy builds trust within the firm.

Ensuring Strict Punishments

In case of a serious sexual offense, the victim may not find it appropriate to use the hierarchical chain of command while issuing the complaint against the offender. Hence he or she might find it more convenient to directly reach the top authorities of the business. In such a scenario, it is important that the top management of the organization is approachable and available for all their employees.

The most critical aspect of sexual assault is the major stigma attached with it. This stigma leads to various victims suffering in silence and various perpetrators moving scot free (Dartnall & Jewkes, 2013). Therefore as the decision makers of the firm, it is important that we break the stigma. The stigma can be broken by encouraging communication and creating a positive work environment where such topics are openly discussed and addressed. The office space could also occupy various posters and pictures that spread awareness on the issue and encourage victims to come forward and take an action against their offender. Employees of the firm should not shy away from speak about and discussing such issues in the office premises. This can only be possible if we the leaders of the business encourage and openly promote and initiate such discussions in the work space.

A legal committee must be formed which would take care of cases of sexual harassment in the work place. This committee must invariably have a gender equal ratio. The team must always be available even outside the workplace. The formation of the committee makes it easy for employees to know whom to reach out to when they experience any such problem in the work place.

The members of this committee must be sensibly and empathetically chosen keeping in mind that they must hold excellent communication as well as the right set of skills to deal with such issues. They must be aware of the legality of the issue and should be able to address the grievances of the employees effectively. It is also important that the committee has at least one psychiatrist or psycho analyst who can provide support to the victim by providing the right legal and emotional support. In any circumstance, the availability of the team at all times is very crucial. The committee must ensure to protect and preserve the privacy of all employees.

Every time a case of sexual harassment is reported, it becomes the duty and foremost responsibility of the organization to make sure that the offender is strictly punished. Ensuring a severe punishment, legal action and immediate termination of the employee will instil a fear in the minds of those who may have a similar mindset. The employees would be afraid to even attempt any such assault. At the same point of time, if the reported cases are strictly catered to, then other victims of the organization would be encouraged to come forward and press charges against their criminals. Moreover, a seriously dealt with case over this issue will spread the message across the organization and let employees feel the seriousness of the issue. Lastly, taking a strong action will build an environment of trust within the top management and will make the organization a better and safer place to work in.

Trainings must be provided to individuals wherein the sexual harassment policy must be explained at the time of induction. Ladies must be trained about what consists of sexual harassment so that they can be cautious and remain full well aware if they are facing any such incidences in the work place (McDonald & Charlesworth, 2016). The organization must also put efforts in organizing boot camps, strength trainings and self-defense workshops for all the employees frequently after or before office working hours.

Trainings must also be conducted for employees where they could be provided information about the respect for employees and the severe implications that are followed by any sexual assault case in the business.

As the top management of the business, we must take complete responsibility of the safety and safeguarding of all our employees in the workplace. Employees of the business often put immense efforts for the accomplishment of the organizational goals. As leaders, it is important that we create a culture of trust, honesty and friendship within the organization. Hence, if we come across a case of sexual assault, it is imperative that we follow the protocol and take action against the accused. However, it is often more important to go beyond the boundaries of compliance and ensure the safety and security of the victim.

A counselor, direct reporting manager of the victim, his or her peers or even the top management must come forward and attempt to establish a conversation with the victim and motivate sufferer to be strong and deal with the incidence with immense respect and strength. The employee could be offered an additional leave if he or she desires so. It is highly important that the victim of such an act receives complete support and backing from the organization.

Conclusion

Sexual harassment in workplace or outside is a serious offense. There are various legalities related to the matter but even so the number or reported and unreported cases of sexual harassment in Australia are consistently on a rise. This is makes it the responsibility of the organization to ensure that they put in efforts to entirely eradicate sexual harassment cases in the company. The workplace must be a positive and safe place for employees and they must be able to consistently trust the business to take appropriate actions for their safety.

Human resource management of the organization is a very crucial aspect of any business and respecting the human resources of the firm, ensuring their safety and creating a nurturing environment for them becomes the foremost responsibility of the organization. This report throws light on the critically increasing sexual assault cases in Australia. The business must pay attention to these issue and put efforts in eradicating the same.

The formation of a complaint committee for sexual harassment as well as formulating a policy for the actions taken against sexual assault cases in the workplace must be the foremost responsibility of the business. Once the policy and the committee has been framed and in place, the organizational leaders must put efforts in ensuring that the workplace offers a positive culture of open communication. The victims must be encouraged to come forward and complaint against any such behavior observed in the workplace. At the same time, the offender must be punished severely enough to instil a sense of fear in the organization against committing such drastic offenses. As the leaders of the organization it is our duty and responsibility to ensure the safety and security of all our employees and hence it is urged that the recommendations mentioned in the report are urgently implemented in an effective manner. This would lead to increased trust of employees and a pleasant working environment and culture.

References

Australian human rights commission, 2018, ‘Sexual Harassment’, https://www.humanrights.gov.au/our-work/sex-discrimination/guides/sexual-harassment, retrieved on 9 January, 2018.

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Boyd, C.R., 2011. The impacts of sexual assault on women (p. 1). Australian Institute of Family Studies.

Connell, R.W., 2014. Gender and power: Society, the person and sexual politics. John Wiley & Sons.

Dartnall, E. and Jewkes, R., 2013. Sexual violence against women: the scope of the problem. Best practice & research Clinical obstetrics & gynaecology, 27(1), pp.3-13.

Docherty, T., 2015. Open-door policy? Index on Censorship, 44(2), pp.34-39.

Javidi, H. and Yadollahie, M., 2011. Post-traumatic stress disorder. The international journal of occupational and environmental medicine, 3(1 January).

Mainiero, L.A. and Jones, K.J., 2013. Sexual harassment versus workplace romance: Social media spillover and textual harassment in the workplace. The Academy of Management Perspectives, 27(3), pp.187-203.

McDonald, P. and Charlesworth, S., 2016. Workplace sexual harassment at the margins. Work, employment and society, 30(1), pp.118-134.

McDonald, P., 2012. Workplace sexual harassment 30 years on: a review of the literature. International Journal of Management Reviews, 14(1), pp.1-17.

McLaughlin, H., Uggen, C. and Blackstone, A., 2012. Sexual harassment, workplace authority, and the paradox of power. American sociological review, 77(4), pp.625-647.

Tarczon, C. and Quadara, A., 2012. The nature and extent of sexual assault and abuse in Australia. Australian Institute of Family Studies.

The Balance, 2017, ‘Sexual Harassment’, https://www.thebalance.com/sexual-harassment-1918253, retrieved on 9 January, 2018.