Sexual Harassment in the Workplace - Research Paper Example

? Sexual Harassment in the Workplace Sexual Harassment in the Workplace Sexual harassment lowers work performance and brings low self-esteem to the victims. Sexual harassment is considered as a public embarrassment and humiliation where the harassed may be blamed for her dress and lifestyle at times.it is unfortunate that the harassed normally become under scrutiny and this really interferes with their reputation and dignity. To most victims, sexual harassment may prompt them to change their jobs or even feel that people around them do not care about them. There are more other challenges affecting the victims such as depression, anxiety, nightmares, anger, powerlessness, increased blood pressure, withdrawal, traumatic stress and isolation. Strong policies should be instituted both nationally and within organizations to address gender-based violence as well as conducting self-awareness campaigns to combat the challenge (Abdel-hameid & AbdelRhman, 2009). This article evaluates various cases of sexual harassment from various countries and professions that most employees undergo particularly nurses and server. Sexual harassment has turned out to be a common issue due to its higher increase in different organizations begging from schools where teachers have fallen victims to bigger corporations. Sexual harassment occurs when any worker associated with an institution is found liable for sexually harassing a fellow staff or worker at the institution-sponsored events. Sexual harassment further involves a situation where a senior employee causes a junior worker to believe that unless the junior worker gives in for sexual favors, the employee cannot be allowed to enjoy some school programs or activities. There are also principles laid down by the individual businesses to deal with the sexual harassment matters. Sexual Harassment against Nurses in Turkey Celik and Celik (2007), identifies the prevalence and sources of sexual harassment against nurses in Turkey. According to their article, it was apparent that physicians were actually the main instigators of sexual harassment and that anger and fear was the reaction against the harassers. According to Celik and Celik (2007), most of the sexually harassed nurses do not report the incident to the hospital administration. Sexual harassment is very common in the nursing profession compared to other professions. Also, women are more subjected to sexual harassment compared to men. Nurses with bachelor’s degree in nursing are likely to report sexual incidents and that they are also the dominant group being harassed. Women holding subordinate positions especially in nursing are at risk of being sexually harassed by people in the higher ranks such as physicians. Because of serious effects of sexual harassment, nurses should know their rights and even procedures to follow when sexually harassed. Sexual harassment is prone in professions with more women than men such as nursing. Nursing profession subjects more women to sexual harassment than men. It is also apparent that less educated individuals are likely to be sexually harassed than the more educated individuals. The more educated employees holding superior positions mostly manipulate the less educated employees because of their financial status as well as the seniority of the positions they hold (Celik and Celik, 2007). Moreover, there is a big challenge amongst the sexually harassed individuals of reporting the incidences due to the fear of losing their jobs. Even though they may know the right channel to follow in order to seek justice, they may not make prompt decisions and this largely delays justice and encourages sexual harassment in workplaces. Naming and Claiming Workplace Sexual Harassment in Australia According to Charlesworth, McDonald & Cerise (2011), Australia is another country experiencing a high number of sexual harassment yet the legal aspect of it is never fully understood resulting into few cases being reported. Increase in sexual harassment issues in the workplace as well as failure to report these issues imply that legal aspect of the vice is not deeply understood perhaps because of injustice framing. Sexual harassment is still rampant in work places despite its prohibition because of the limited and confused understanding of its legal constituent (Charlesworth, McDonald & Cerise, 2011). Employees may at times not be able to ascertain what sexual harassment actually entails. They may also take some moves for granted or even assume that the harassment does not require any legal action. This may eventually lead to enhancement of sexual harassment directed towards such individuals who are never sensitive enough to take earlier actions. Some sexual behaviors are not regarded as sexual harassment by the perpetrators. Sexual harassment may at times be identified by accessing the degree in which a certain behavior was intimidating and the position of the harassed in the structural hierarchy. Lower reporting rate of sexual harassment cases also depend on degree of intimidation and the level of offence. There should be strong legal framework addressing the issue of sexual harassment by preventing the act and protecting the victims of sexual harassment in the workplace. The fact that there should be strong legal framework required to deal with sexual harassment deters many victims from seeking justice particularly in some countries such as Australia. There is a big challenge of viewing sexual harassment as an individual issue instead of looking at it in a broader organizational perspective (Charlesworth, McDonald & Cerise, 2011). It Is Part of the Job Huebner (2008) explains that women’s traditional role to serve and care for others, according to “sex role spillover theory” has made sexual harassment a normal thing as far as women’s role is concerned. There are some establishments in the workplace that encourage sexual harassment as per workplace culture theories. There is a conventional belief amongst nurses and servers that sexual harassment is part of their work. They believe that the workplace names play a major role in encouraging sexual harassment thus making them think that harassment does not require any legal action. Such kind of notion has largely encouraged sexual harassment amongst the servers and the nurses. According to Huebner (2008), sexual harassment has been normalized and the sexual behavior varies by workplace norms. There are nuances that have made sexual harassment be normalized such as malice in understanding the common and legal nature and abuse of power which includes exploitation of women’s sexuality for profit. Sexual harassment may be perceived differently at workplace and there is thin line of differentiating perpetrators operating with malicious intentions and those working in vulnerable environments. At times getting involved in sexual harassment does not mean that the offender had bad intention. Social conformity and level of intimacy may largely affect the drive to engage in sexual harassment. It is your Problem According to Kane-Urrabazo (2007), proper dealing with sexual harassment claim is very important in retaining good employees. It is important for the management to understand various ways of handling sexual harassment claims because they are responsible for their employee acts. Being that sexual harassment is a major issue in workplace and it affects both sexes managers should act responsibly while dealing with the problem. Necessary steps should be taken by management to curb sexual harassment claims in the workplace since it is a serious problem that cannot be ignored especially in the healthcare industry. By management acting responsibly, there are high chances of creating healthy working environment that is vital in generating employee satisfaction. Management and businesses in dealing with sexual harassment remains integral in ensuring smooth operation and proper working culture in every organization. It is important to let employees feel safe and cared for by the business as this boosts their morale. An organization should be free from sexual harassment. Employees’ morale will be boosted if the management is committed in eliminating sexual harassment in the working environment. Apart from proactive action which may at times not prevent the harassment, there should be other measures put in place to address the sexual harassment claims so as to protect the employees (Kane-Urrabazo, 2007). Sexual Harassment amongst Sport Print Media Professionals It is worth noting that sexual harassment is a kind of sexual discrimination, which has significant implications for both employer and workers. Sport print Media professionals are amongst the workforce that is hard hit by sexual harassment. It is important to understand that sexual discrimination is based on traditional perception of women’s role in the society that has also influenced the way in which organizational structures are designed. According to Pedersen et al. (2009), Traditional organizational structures attempt to favor male dominance and leadership without paying much attention to gender balance. Considering sort culture, it is evident that most roles are occupied by men and this really contributes to increase in sexual harassment incidences. Perhaps involvement of women in organizational structures and paying attention to gender may bring balance in the organizations and eventually reduce incidences of sexual harassment. There are widespread occurrences of sexual harassment in sport print media workplaces which has negatively influenced female sport media personnel. Female sport print media personalities are affected both psychologically and socially. The management in the Sport print media should take stern action of eliminating the notion and completely do away with male dominance in the industry, as this will largely reduce sexual harassment cases. Severe actions aimed at promoting equality in the sector may prove very useful. Reporting Sexual Harassment: The Importance of Organizational Culture and Trust According to Vijayasiri (2008), few incidences of sexual harassment at workplace are reported simply because of organization’s climate and fear of reprisal. Most employees do not file complaints because they fear coworker’s backlash and these kinds of issues really need to be addressed in order to achieve justice amongst the victims. Also, mishandling of sexual harassment cases discourage the victims from filing complaints because there is loss of trust in the institutions put in place to offer justice. Generally, perception of how the cases are handled and the outcome of the cases play an integral role in lowering the number of sexual harassment cases. Future response to sexual harassment may take a wrong turn in future because of these experiences. However, the article identifies limitations of the cross sectional research technique, which does not seem to satisfactorily address the linkage between organizational framework and victim reaction (Vijayasiri, 2008). Employers may be liable for failure to enforce harassment policies including failure to investigate a reported allegation on sexual harassment. An organization’s reputation may further be tainted if the sexual harassments are proved severe, pervasive, and so offensive that the victim cannot operate smoothly. Businesses should therefore institute proper principles and discipline to the sexual harassment offenders such as firing them. An organization should take control of the whole situation of sexual harassment to minimize the number of harassment cases. References Abdel-hameid, S., & AbdelRhman, W. (2009). Sexual Harassment in the Workplace. Ahfad Journal, 26(1), 3-24. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=89c2e7f4-f992-4c31-a6a4-7f4f0018bae1%40sessionmgr115&vid=2&hid=117 Celik, Y., & Celik, S. (2007). Sexual Harassment against Nurses in Turkey. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 39(2), 200-206. doi:10.1111/j.1547-5069.2007.00168.x Charlesworth, S., McDonald, P., & Cerise, S. (2011). Naming and claiming workplace sexual harassment in Australia. Australian Journal of Social Issues, 46(2), 141-161. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=64da7b0a-3d86-4387-84f2-7a33dd967c13%40sessionmgr15&vid=2&hid=117 Huebner, L. C. (2008). It Is Part Of The Job: Waitresses And Nurses Define Sexual Harassment. Sociological Viewpoints, 2475-90. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=a87d2d63-39bf-4668-8ce1-45e5e596b31d%40sessionmgr115&vid=2&hid=117 Kane-Urrabazo, C. (2007). Sexual harassment in the workplace: it is your problem. Journal of Nursing Management, 15(6), 608-613. Retrieved http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=3e0d5445-3368-42f3-af01-7e18e254f793%40sessionmgr113&vid=2&hid=117 Pedersen et al. (2009). An Examination of the Perceptions of Sexual Harassment by Sport Print Media Professionals. Journal Of Sport Management, 23(3), 335-360. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=81cd85d5-e837-47b9-8765-5ae637a5de41%40sessionmgr15&vid=2&hid=9 Vijayasiri, G. (2008). Reporting Sexual Harassment: The Importance of Organizational Culture and Trust. Gender Issues, 25(1), 43-61. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=9657804e-9b36-4d6e-9303-0426eff04e79%40sessionmgr115&vid=2&hid=117 Read More