Sexual Harassment

 

Abstract

This paper is focusing on sexual harassment at work and its affects. What is the aftermath of such a social dilemma? The paper will analyze the factors responsible for sexual harassment and its effect on employees and organizations. Finally the paper will highlight the issues developed by sexual harassment at workplace and how it affects employees and organizations. The focus of this paper will be sexual harassment.

Table of Content

Introduction1

Discussion1

Effect of Sexual Harassment2

Prevalence and Reporting3

Types of Sexual Harassments3

Quid Pro Quo Harassment4

Hostile Environment Harassment4

Unwelcome Behavior5

Severe or Pervasive Behavior5

Employer Liability6

The Cost of Sexual Harassment7

Prevention of Sexual Harassment at work7

Conclusion8

Sexual Harassment

Introduction

Sexual harassment is a serious and rising problem faced by employees in most occupations all over the world. The problem of sexual harassment was first recognized in 1970 both legally and publicly. Sexual harassment in the workplace can be defined as an undesirable or improper sexual conduct. It is an act of power, exercised by a superior taking advantage of the condition where the victim is intimidated with the intent to obtain sexual favors. Such acts affect the dignity of an employee, sabotaging the environment of the organization, making it more hostile. It is essential to recognize this problem and to understand the negative effects of it. The victim is directly affected by the acts of sexual harassment as their productivity at work is affected and their motivation level gets low, leading to lower quality and performance at work. It is a crippling truth in the environment of an organization and its effects can be ravaging to the individual, who is harassed and the working environment around him or her. It is not necessarily related to sex, it is about abuse of power as someone who is a senior abuses his power and uses sexual conduct whether it's physical in nature or behavioral, making the victim uneasy and difficult for him to settle down in the working environment. Sexual harassment can occur in various forms, it could happen in an explicit way or by verbal abuse and gestures that are vulgar in nature causing malaise for the victim.

Discussion

Studies show that sexual harassment takes place in almost every occupation. It further reveals that sexual harassment is predominantly apparent in occupation dominated by men. National surveys regarding sexual harassment conclude that an estimated twenty to fifty percent women will go through the painful experience of sexual harassment while at work. The reason for these statistics is a strong problem that women and men who suffer sexual harassment at work do not report such cases and say “No” when inquired if they were victims of harassment at work. There are two types of sexual harassment first is the quid pro quo and the second is hostile environment harassment. The first type involves threats or bribe of sexual nature that are used as a condition to compensate or benefit decisions regarding employment against sexual favors. On the other hand, hostile environment harassment consists of behaviors which are vulgar in nature, such as jokes related to sexual nature, ...