Research Paper on Sexual Harassment in Workplace

This research paper considers a detail study of the management. For this, the topic sexual harassment in the workplace is selected to determine several theories and approaches related to it. Sexual harassment is an intimidation in which anyone forces the weaker person to act something.

This paper discusses about the current status of sexual harassment at the workplace. In addition, the research paper also identifies that why sexual harassment is becoming a significant issue in the current organizational practices. There are some corrective actions also included that the managers can use to reduce sexual harassment from the workplace.

The management and its preventive actions and policies are helpful in considering some future steps in favor of rights of employees.

Sexual Harassment in the Workplace

Sexual harassment is considered as an employment discrimination among the men and women that consists of verbal and physical abuse of sexual nature at the workplace (Boland, 2005). In current, sexual harassment in the workplace is a new management issue that can be seen in the organization. Generally, women are affected by the sexual harassment through Lewd remarks, touching, wolf-whistles etc (Naveed, Tharani & Alwani, 2010).

It creates discriminatory, unfair, thriving in atmosphere of threat, terror and reprisal to the women at work. In addition, it is also included all the expressions of male power over women that maintain patriarchic relations. Men use sexual harassment for reminding to women about their vulnerability and dominated status. At the same time, these patriarchic values and attitudes of men as well as women create greatest challenge in preventing and solving sexual harassment from the society. In present, sexual harassment is an illegal practice, which is endemic and often hidden in the organizations.

It is easily tackled by the management within the organization by taking corrective actions and making appropriate policy related to sexual discrimination in employment. It is not a good activity at the workplace, because a workplace is a place where employees build strong relationship with employer. Thus, it is a current management issue of the organization that makes ineffective relationship between employers and employees.

Sexual Harassment as a Significant Issue

Along with this, sexual harassment is a significant issue because of change in attitudes of all the employees, colleagues, friends, administrators, employers and law makers. Sexual harassment takes place, when any unwelcome sexually determined behavior exists in the organization. These behaviors include physical contact, a request for sexual favors, sexually colored remarks, expressing pornography and any verbal or non-verbal behavior of a sexual nature.

In addition, it is a significant issue of the current organizational practices that affects behavior of the organizational people. It also has great impact on the productivity of the employees, because it de-motivates the people who are sexually harassed by another one. At the same time, this issue must be solved by the management through effective policies and procedures that can protect the rights of the employees.

Sexual harassment diverts the mind of women from the work that reduces their productivity. Reduction in productivity directly affects the profitability of the organization that creates problems in the growth of the company (Naveed, Tharani & Alwani, 2010). In current, a supervisor requests to his junior for sexual favors in return for promotion for other monetary benefits. The supervisor may also threaten, if anyone refuses for his noon-corporation. Thus, the management of the organization must inquiry about the private lives of employees to prevent the employees from the sexual harassment. This issue creates difficulties for the companies by negative exposure and publicity in the industry.

It also increases absenteeism and reduces productivity, efficiency and employees moral. So, this is a significant issue for the organization that must be solved. People unwelcome and behave with improper way on the basis of sexual nature. Sexual harassment is considered as illegal activity in the organizational and legal context. According to Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), it is an unlawful activity that someone harasses a person or an employee because of his/her sex. Sexual harassment includes both verbal and physical harassment of a sexual nature.

Resources for Managers
There are several resources for managers that can be used to prevent sexual harassment at the workplace (Saguy, 2003). It is considered as a most intimidating; most violating form of violence, so several countries adopted the laws to detect this problem such as UK, USA and others. These countries use the legislative measures for degrading experience of sexual harassment for women as well as employers.

These laws protect not only women, but also employers, if employers do not violate the rights of employees. The court also helps to redress and prevent sexual harassment at workplace by providing guidelines to the employees.

There are certain challenges to implement law in the organization such as patriarchal attitudes and values. At the same time, it is also essential for the managers that they have acknowledgement about their legal responsibilities to provide safe and secure working environment. The working environment must be free from sexual harassment and discrimination among the employees. It is also important to know that why women are silent about sexual harassment (Kaner, 2002).

The managers must identify the reasons behind the silence of women against this issue, because absence of complaints does not essentially mean an absence of sexual harassment. Along with this, the managers can adopt anti-sexual harassment policy in the organization.

It can be communicating with all the employees that how it will be helpful for them. Awareness of this policy is effective to establish a zero tolerance approach. In addition, managers can also establish complaint channels to take into consideration (Borstorff & Arlington, 2010). For this, a complaint committee can be set up to control over sexual harassment. Along with this, a proper training of sexual harassment educates the employees that how to create and promote a healthy environment.

Consideration for Future
The employees and managers can take all the above actions that are supportive in making strong relationship in the future. Sexual harassment awareness training will lay down a strong foundation of a sexual harassment free workplace (Kaner, 2002). These preventive programs will create a proper understating about implementation of policy and will make strong relationship among the employees. In addition, inquiry of personal life of employees will contribute to prevent the sexual harassment and to create an atmosphere of hostility. It will be significant to make comfortable working environment for the employees. The preventive actions will also be effective in changing the behaviors and attitudes of the employees regarding their work culture.

Conclusion
In the conclusion, it can be said that sexual harassment is a significant issue that is not good for organizational work culture. Anti-sexual harassment policy can be used by the managers to prevent this issue and to make safe and secure working place to the employees.

Managers can use laws, policies and complaint procedures against the sexual harassment that is important to take corrective actions. In addition, it can also be concluded that sexual harassment is not a good practice for all the organizational people that also create problems for the organization regarding its growth within the industry. The control over sexual harassment will be effective for the organizational core value.