Institutional strategies for dealing with sexual harassment

Abstract

Sexual harassment is being recognized as a pervasive and highly visible problem at an institutional level. As a consequence institutions are establishing policies and proce-Sexual harassment, as a problem at the institutional level, has recently emerged as an important, pervasive, and highly visible issue. Given the changing structure of American families, and the evolving role of women in the work force (Sandroff, 1988), it is likely that sexual harassment, over the next few years, will continue to be viewed as a major issue. Moreover, in view of the significant implications of recent legal decisions (e.g., Meritor Savings Bank vs. Vinson, 1986) with respect to corporate and institutional responsibility, increasing attention has, in the recent past, been paid to sexual harassment and gender-related discrimination by management.Despite the recent increase in interest, sexual harassment has only been a subject for scholarly inquiry over the past few years. While a number of excellent analyses of this subject exist (Collins & Blodgett, 1981; U.S. Government Printing Office, 1988) sexual harassment has been less studied than other aspects of the work environment. In this regard, the recent article by Popovich (1988) is especially valuable. This article reviews the definition of sexual harassment, examines some of its implications in the workplace, and outlines several strategies for dealing with sexual harassment.Popovich is to be congratulated on a scholarly and incisive review of this subject. In the context of employee rights, a number of additional institutional strategies exist, which have proven to be effective in proactively dealing with sexual harassment in the workplace. Since these strategies have not yet been adopted on a widespread basis, they are worth reviewing:

‘Training the next generation HR practitioners’: Reflecting on HRM student experiences of sexual harassment training

“…The long-term aim of training is to address attitudes and behaviours of employees and managers regarding sexual harassment, and to create organisational cultural change (Hertzog, et al, 2008). Training thus has the potential to reduce ambiguity regarding the behaviours that constitute sexual harassment (Antecol, et al, 2003), empower targets to report incidences of sexual harassment (McDonald, et al, 2011), and to equip managers with the necessary skills to investigate complaints (Waxman, 1990). Certainly, those who understand sexual harassment are less likely to harass and are more likely to contribute towards creating a positive workplace culture (Antecol et al 2003).…”