Sexual Harassment as a Communication Phenomenon

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Sexual Harassment as a Communication Phenomenon

• Creating Understanding as a Basis for Prevention

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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?

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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

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Solomon and Williams Study, continued

• 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

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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 than females and hence 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

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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.