Title: Sexual Harassment as a Communication Phenomenon
1Sexual Harassment as a Communication Phenomenon
- Creating Understanding as a Basis for Prevention
2Sexual Harrassment
- EEOC definition--unwelcome sexual advances,
requests for sexual favors, other verbal or
physical conduct of a sexual nature if 1)
submission is made a condition of employment, 2)
submission to or rejection of conduct is the
basis for an employment decision, or 3) the
conduct seriously affects an employees work
performance or creates a hostile, intimidating,
or offensive work environment
3Sources for Sexual Harassment Law
- Title VII of Civil Rights Act of 1964
- Title IX of the Higher Education Reauthorization
Act of 1972 - Fair Employment and Housing Act (California)
- AB 1825 effective 1/1/05all supervisors in
companies w/ 50 or more employees must be given
interactive SH training at least once every 2 yrs
and within 6 months of a promotion
4Types of Sexual Harassment
- Quid Pro Quo--offering a reward or threatening
punishment in return for sexual favors - Hostile environment--sexually suggestive,
intimidating, or offensive conditions - Typical targets--college educated women under 35
working in predominantly male work areas
5Sexual Harassment as Communication
- Can be verbal or nonverbal
- May result from differing communication styles
(Tannen) - May result from an expression of power in
relationships - May result from attempts at intimate
interpersonal relationships in the workplace
6Dealing with Sexual Harassment Victim Strategies
- If you believe the conduct is wrong, say so.
Tell the perpetrator in clear terms that the
conduct is inappropriate - Report the incident following workplace
procedures - Document incidents in written form
- If witnesses are present, have them verify the
details of the incident
7Organizational Responses to Sexual Harassment
Charges
- Take the complaint seriously, listen carefully
- Conduct an investigation (outsourcing?)
- Maintain objectivity, be sympathetic but dont
make promises of action prior to investigation - Suspend judgment--perpetrators have rights too
- Have a policy in place and follow it
8Beware of retaliation!
- Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway v. White
(2006) 9-0 decision - Retaliation exists if a reasonable person would
have been deterred from reporting the offense - Designed to broaden protection for workers and
dramatically decreases the flexibility of
organizations to respond to workers who file
harassment complaints
9Sexual Harassment Policies for Organizations
- Zero tolerance--commitment from the top
- Make punishment consistent with the
behavior--dont specify first offense penalty - Consistent enforcement, same rules for all
- Multiple reporting options
- Cant cover it just once, need updates
- Organizations with a cultural of accepting upward
communication will be more successful at
preventing SH
10Solomon and Williams Sexual Harassment Study
- Vast majority of SH is hostile environment
type--social-sexual communication often the key
(sexual and relational advances) - 1/3 of all relations people have are initiated in
the workplace - Highlights the importance of third party
observations in cases of SHbut, what factors
influence third party observations?
11Solomon and Williams cont.
- Distinguishing romantic interest and sexual
harassment - perception of constrained behavior
- perceived desirability of sexual advances
- Study results
- Explicit advances seen as more constraining than
implicit (ambiguous) ones - Supervisors behavior is more likely to be seen
as harassing than peer or subordinates
12Solomon and Williams Study
- Perceived severity of SH increases with the
position power of the message initiator - Attractiveness related to perceived SH
- unattractive men are more likely than attractive
men to be perceived as harassers - individuals charged with sexually harassing
attractive targets are more likely to be found
guilty with harassing than when targets are less
attractive persons
13Solomon and Williams cont.
- Gender differences in harassment
- social-sexual communication initiated by males is
seen as more constraining than females - Males are more likely to welcome social-sexual
communication. Women view it as more explicit
and harassing - Females initiating social sexual communication
were seen as less harassing than if the same
messages were initiated by males
14Solomon and Williams, conclude
- Observer sex as key to perceptions of SH
- women are more negative on org. romances, view
SH as more of a problem, show less tolerance for
harassing behavior - males more likely to view women as complicit
- Sexual harassment should be understood in terms
of the power structures and gendered positions of
males and females, which shape the meaning of
social-sexual communication at work.