Sexual Harassment as a Communication Phenomenon - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Sexual Harassment as a Communication Phenomenon

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Prof. Nick Burnett, ComS 103, Sec. 11-18, F07 ... Prof. Nick Burnett, ComS 103, Sec. 11-18, F07. Solomon and Williams Sexual Harassment Study ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: Sexual Harassment as a Communication Phenomenon


1
Sexual Harassment as a Communication Phenomenon
  • Creating Understanding as a Basis for Prevention

2
Sexual 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

3
Sources 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

4
Types 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

5
Sexual 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

6
Dealing 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

7
Organizational 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

8
Beware 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

9
Sexual 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

10
Solomon 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?

11
Solomon 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

12
Solomon 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

13
Solomon 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

14
Solomon 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.
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