Human Resources Organizations - Literature review Example

Heading: Human Resources Organizations Your name: Course name: Professors’ name: Date Introduction Sexual harassment is one of the social problems that involve actual issues in work environment, as well as those that cry out for practical human resource management interventions. It entails an offence against the human dignity, and can leave a lasting effect on the victim, and even damage a healthy work setting. This paper attempts to explore the issue of sexual harassment from the standpoint of the human resources. It also seeks to examine some of the ways in which employees can minimize sexual harassment, and how they should behave upon experiencing or witnessing sexual harassment at workplace. Workplace sexual harassment According to Rees (2008), sexual harassment refers to any form of sexual advance, verbal, physical, or written behavior of sexual nature by a supervisor, manager, non-employee, or a co-worker (third party). In this case, a third party refers to an individual who is not a state worker, but has business interactions with state workers. These individuals include but no restricted to consumers, such as, applicants for state services and employment, contractors, vendors, and volunteers. It can also entail a demand sexual favors by a co-worker, supervisor, or a manager of a workplace. Sexual harassment in a workplace exists in two forms including hostile environment, and quid pro quo. To start with, quid pro quo entails a kind of sexual harassment when a supervisor, or manager or a person of authority withholds or offers a job-related gain in exchange for sexual favor from another person like a job applicant or an employee. Ordinarily, the sexual harasser needs sexual favor from a victim, either punishing, or rewarding the sufferer in a certain way. Secondly, hostile environment a type of sexual harassment involving a victim subjected to severe and unwelcomed or pervasive recurrent sexual innuendoes, sexual comments, touching, comments, or other kinds of sexual nature that causes an offensive or intimidating place for workers to perform their duties. Submission to sexual conduct happens when either implicitly or explicitly a condition or a term of a person’s employment. Rejection of, or submission of such behavior by a person can serve a reason for work decisions influencing such a person. Moreover, such a behavior has the effect or purpose of unreasonably interfering with a person’s work creating or performance and hostile, intimidating, or offensive working setting. A sexual victim can agree or consent to certain behavior and actively take part in it even though it is objectionable or offensive. Thus, sexual behavior is unwelcome whenever the individual subjected to the conduct finds it unwelcome. Whether an individual in fact welcomed a demand for sex-related comment, date, or joke relies on all the situations (O'Leary-Kelly & Bowes-Sperry 2001). Sexual harassment involves issues like attempted or actual sexual assault or rape, undesired force for sexual favors, undesired intentional leaning over, touching, pinching, or concerning. Sexual harassment also entails undesirable sexual gestures or looks, unwanted telephone, letters, and sexual materials. Sexual harassment also constitutes unnecessary force for dates, sexual jokes, teasing, questions, or remarks, cat calls, whistling, stories, innuendos, fantasies, history, or and preferences among others (Rosewarne 2007). A sexual harassment is not simply the worker who is the intent of the harassment. Other workers who learn or observe sexual harassment may also be the institute charges or victims. Anybody affected by the behavior may possibly sexual harassment complaint. In the firm’s sexual harassment policy, it is advisable that workers that experience sexual harassment should stop the perpetrator, and tell him that sexual advances and unwanted conduct are unwanted. Sexual harassment may happen even when the complainant may not indicate any serious effect on her or his employment including discharge, transfer, and salary reductions among others (Rees 2008). When a person faces sexual harassment, they ought to utilize the complaint system and suggested procedures as indicated in the sexual harassment policy of the company for which they work. The investigation must take place as per the handbook. The employer has responsibility of taking each sexual harassment complaint seriously and conduct investigation. Because of the investigation of a sexual assault complaint, there is no permitted retaliation, in spite of of the investigation results. An employer should handle any complainant differently as compared to other workers. Nevertheless, upon establishing that a worker lied, it is necessary to take a disciplinary action (Brackenridge 2000). Every year, one of the common complaints to the Australian Human Rights Commission under the Sex Discrimination Act entails sexual harassment. Between 2009 and 2010, there were 21% total complaints, of which 88% were cases regarding sexual harassment in the workplaces in the country. The broad utilization of modern technologies like mobile phones, social networking sites, and emails causes new spaces in which sexual harassments can take place. Sexual harassment may be an obstacle to women taking part fully in paid employment (Paludi 2006). Besides, this may undermine their equal participation in business or organizations, minimize their working life quality, and force costs on firms. Workplace sexual harassment is illegal in Australia and different parts of the world. Therefore, it is vital for the workers to develop strategies of enhancing awareness and preventing sexual harassment. Moreover, workers and co-workers should know ways of identifying sexual harassment, as well as avenues available to them to file for complaints (Paludi 2006). Brackenridge (2000) asserts that sexual harassment is illegal in every work-related activity. For instance, sexual harassment is illegal at workplace, within working hours, and at work-oriented tasks like conferences field trips, work functions, and training courses among others. Other types of sexual harassment are also is criminal offences include indecent exposure, stalking, physical assault or molestation, obscene communications, and sexual assault. Under Sex Discrimination Act, anybody who sexually harasses another one is liable for sexual harassment. Nevertheless, employers can become responsible for sexual harassment acts committed by agents or employees. Therefore, it is imperative for employers to minimize their responsibility by showing that they took all precautions to bar the occurrence of sexual harassment. This could include steps to handle discrimination allegations made any customers or employees (Antecol, Barcus & Cobb-Clark 2009). How to minimize workplace sexual harassment First, McDonald, Charlesworth, and Cerise (2011) maintain that minimizing sexual harassment in workplace is possible through creation and implementation of a written form of sexual harassment policy. This is the most significant fundamental of reducing or eliminating sexual harassment responsibility in a workplace. A disseminated and well-written policy is crucial to both the prevention of sexual harassment and tackling of sexual harassment of it happens in a workplace. Therefore, employees can reduce workplace sexual harassment by advocating for the creation and implementation of sexual harassment policy. Secondly, Rees (2008) asserts that constant training is another way of reducing sexual harassment in a work environment. This is the most precautionary technique of handling sexual harassment by thorough training of the workers. This training includes all workers in a work setting, and not just a small section of them. Additionally, the training ought to engage certain debates on matters that might occur in a work environment, and discuss the organization’s written policy relating to sexual harassment. Thus, employees should actively take in the training sessions to reduce the chances of sexual harassment in their work environment. Another effective of reducing sexual harassment in workplaces entails avoidance of problem minimization. Normally, whenever a worker complains about a matter relating to a possible sexual harassment in work setting, the immediate response is to reduce or dismiss the issue as something less than a legal sexual harassment complaint. It is imperative to avoid becoming a victim of the instinct, instead address all sexual harassment issues or complaints seriously in order to ensure a constant communication to workplace, and address any problem accordingly (Rosewarne 2007). What is more, Ritzer (2011) argues that the reduction of workplace sexual harassment can take place through timely and thorough investigation of all the complaints made. This investigation should not just be a short meeting with the complainant, rather should engage interviews with prospective parties and witnesses to the supposed harassment. It should also involve written statements from the victims, and a follow-up requests, or interviews for information. A timely and thorough investigating is imperative defense to a future lawsuit against sexual assault. To avoid such harassment, workers should ensure that the complete and timely investigations occur concerning the incidents. Moreover, Rees (2008) says that minimization of sexual harassment in work environment is successful through suitable actions of sexual harassment incidents. This implies that upon appropriate investigations, and confirmation of the acts, there is a need for serious actions against the offenders. This is vital in the elimination of the possibility of the recurrence of such incidences in workplaces. The enforcement of these acts should happen faster and should engage a sensible belief that they are effective in the elimination of sexual harassment, as well as prevention of its possible recurrence in future. These actions differ in nature, but vary from harasser’s termination to implementation of extra policy, training, or programs created to remove harassment in working environment. Furthermore, Ritzer (2011) holds that reduction of workplace sexual harassment can happen effectively be not forgetting the complaining party. During a complaint of a workplace sexual harassment, it is critical to remember always the complaining party. Particularly, if investigations show that the action actually occurred, then it is necessary to take measures of addressing any possible concern or harm of the complainants that happened due to sexual harassment. Besides, upon investigations, it is critical to inform the complaining party about the occurrence and completion of the investigation and that taking certain actions will or will not take place at the end of the investigations. The quantity of information offered to the complainants differs dramatically based on the conclusions reached during investigation. It is the employees’ responsibilities to ensure that complainants are unforgotten. Imperatively, workers should become leaders, rather than followers in order to reduce workplace sexual harassment. They should also participate in ensuring that there is total diversity in their workplaces. Employers also ought to have their corporate actions and philosophy embrace enhancing reduction of workplace sexual harassment. It is also notable to avoid labels in an attempt to reduce sexual harassment in work settings. Whenever there are complaints in workplaces, employers tend to label the complaints or harassers. This is a wrong way of trying to reduce sexual harassment in work environment. It is the employees’ duty to ensure that their employers do not assign labels to any of the parties in their organizations (Ritzer 2011). As per the regulations and laws, it is advisable for the employees and employers to avoid any form of retaliation to sexual harassment in their organizations. The law offers protection to the complainants of workplace sexual harassment from any kind of retaliation. The same laws expand protections to witnesses or supporters of the complainants in sexual harassment allegations. Because they are easy to make, retaliation claims are prevalent, today. Lastly, minimization of sexual harassment by employees is possible by reporting the cases to the relevant authorities. This facilitates enforcement of actions or policies on the perpetrators; hence reduced future incidents (Rosewarne 2007). How to react to sexual harassment experiences Ritzer (2011) suggests that employees can deal with sexual harassment in work place in other possible ways including personal resolutions, expressions of concern, formal complaints, and through other agencies. In terms of personal resolutions, a worker can handle sexual harassment personally without reporting the cases to other people. Here, they can seek private advice from supervisor regarding strategies of addressing the case personally. They can also look or advice from supervisor relating to various alternatives of resolving the case. With respect to expressions of concern, a sexually harassed person should show concern about the issue, for example, by confiding in the supervisor. Whenever employees experience any form of sexual harassment in workplace, it is imperative to file formal complaints with the relevant authorities to look into the issue; hence, creating a safe working environment (Paludi 2006). Conclusion Sexual harassment entails any type of sexual advance, verbal, physical, or written behavior of sexual nature by a supervisor, manager, non-employee, or a co-worker. It can also involve a request or a demand sexual favors by a co-worker, supervisor, or a manager at a workplace, and may exist it two forms including quid pro quo and social environment. In order to minimize sexual harassment, employees should ensure that there are suitable policies, as well as training on effective identification of sexual harassment forms and incidences. Upon experiencing or observing sexual harassment, employees can handle it through making expressions of concern, filing formal complaints, and conducting personal resolutions. References Antecol, H, Barcus, VE, & Cobb-Clark, D 2009, ‘Gender-biased behavior at work: Exploring the relationship between sexual harassment and sex discrimination’, Journal of Economic Psychology, Vol. 30, No. 5, pp. 782-792 Brackenridge, C 2000, ‘Harassment, Sexual Abuse, and Safety of the Female Athlete’, Clinics in Sports Medicine, Vol.19, No. 2, pp. 187-198 McDonald, P, Charlesworth, S, & Cerise, S 2011, ‘Below the “tip of the iceberg”: Extra-legal responses to workplace sexual harassment’, Women's Studies International Forum, Vol.34, No. 4, pp. 278-289 O'Leary-Kelly, AM & Bowes-Sperry, L 2001, ‘Sexual harassment as unethical behavior: the role of moral intensity’, Human Resource Management Review, Vol. 11, No. 1–2, pp.73-92 Paludi, M 2006, Understanding workplace violence: a guide for managers and employees, Praeger, Westport, Conn. Pp. 54-70. Rees, N 2008, Australian anti-discrimination law: text, cases, and materials, Federation Press, Sydney. Pp. 494-550. Ritzer, G 2011, The concise encyclopedia of sociology, Wiley -Blackwell, Chichester, West Sussex, U.K. Malden, MA. Pp. 538-550. Rosewarne, L 2007, ‘Pin-ups in public space: Sexist outdoor advertising as sexual harassment’, Women's Studies International Forum, Vol. 30, No. 4, pp. 313-325 Read More