The new sexual harassment
Natalee Roan
August 11th, 2009Where do you see the line between harmless flirtatousness and sexual harassment? This article from Forbes.com on MSNBC is promoted as "The new sexual harassment is more subtle". It shares the fact that many people still don't recognize when they've crossed the line, such as flirting at holiday parties, complementary text messages that are too suggestive, and subtle pressure to attend dinners or other functions as a not-so-veiled excuse for a date.
But the second part of the article describes a married indirect superior repeatedly sending inappropriate text & IM messages to a subordinate even after she made it clear that they were unwelcome. The article goes on to quote the victim as saying "I didn't have someone I could go to and feel safe talking about a sexual harassment policy." It also quoted a management consultant responding "if there is a long-standing history of this issue, management may already know about it and have chosen not to act. In this case...you might want to consider finding another job."
This article is blled as the "new" sexual harassment, and I agree in terms of the flirtatiousness that sometimes makes the workplace feel like an extension of a college campus. But when superior sends repeated inappropriate messages to a subordinate, and she makes it clear the advances are unwelcome and he continues, that's the "old" sexual harassment. Sadly, after all these years there's truth in the management consultant's quote that there are still companies that knowingly promote people who conduct themselves inappropriately, and that it's easier if the victim just gets another job.
This is exactly why organizations need more women executives - victims are more likely to approach a woman when they have an issue, but not if they perceive them as subordinate to the wills of senior management. OK, some women execs have been perpetrators...but the odds are way in our favor.
here has emerged a need to
here has emerged a need to redefine sexual harassment in the 1990's, stemming from an increase in complaints from men and homosexuals. According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the number of sexual harassment complaints filed by men has more than tripled from 481 in 1991 to 1,500 in 1994, while total yearly complaints doubled to 14,420. A retail establishment recently was forced to pay $1 million to a victim of homosexual harassment, largely because the victim's employer failed to take the case seriously.vcp certification Sexual harassment is broadening to include harassment of men by women, homosexual harassment and even more recently, incidents involving harassment of workers by customers or clientele, commonly known as third-party harassment. Companies would be wise not to laugh and do nothing in the face of these new and unforeseen complaints.Third party harassment is committed by clients,a+ certification practice test customers or vendors. This type of harassment is particularly difficult to prosecute in part because there lies a gaping hole in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The law is interpreted to apply only to "employees," clearly excluding self-employed individuals. This leaves those victims in professional services such as law, accounting, medicine and consulting with no legal recourse. Furthermore, the EEOC has been known to investigate and prosecute third party cases under anti-discrimination laws but fails to track the actual statistics. Therefore, it is difficult to estimate how often harassment occurs. However, in a survey by Klien Associates,19% of 2,000 attorneys reported that they have received unwanted sexual attention. And a study conducted by the New England Journal of Medicine in Ontario found that 77% of female family physicians reported sexual harassment by their patients.How does a company or practitioner respond to these allegations without losing business? Traditionally, when approached with a third party sexual harassment complaint, businesses are primarily concerned with significant financial consequences; losing the account and possibly losing other clients that the accused may be associated with.citrix certification For these reasons, along with a fear of being blamed and/or having their careers destroyed, few victims are speaking out. The client is the "economic engine" that drives the machine. Going up against a client company is asking for career suicide.These fears subside when employees see an executive take appropriate action. Upper management must investigate and respond quickly to complaints--every complaint. They must take measures to protect the victim. To do this, the victim must be consulted as to what action they wish to take. Usually the action will involve a public intervention and the company will be asked to drop the account. This can be very successful if the victim's supervisor maintains a high value and moral system within the company. It is a short-term financial sacrifice for the business, but one that will enhance loyalty and commitment of its employees. This, in turn, will make a positive impression on other new prospective clients. If the victim cannot depend on their company to help defend them, they will be inclined to filed a law suit under anti-discrimination laws which, in the end, may result in financial loss, lowered productivity and loyalties and an earned reputation as a company that doesn't care about its people. As a precautionary measure, management must install and enforce official rules norms and customs and implement them into the contracts drawn between negotiating companies. They are responsible
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