Sexual harassment-a type of sex discrimination that infringes Section 2 of the Employment Act 1955 unfortunately, continues to be rampant in the workplace today. According to Henslin & Nelson, (1996 p.300) sexual harassment refers to “undesired sexual advances be it touches, looks, force the person to have sex or even jokes".
Quid pro quo
For example, Research has demonstrated that Quid Pro Quo behavior is usually utilized vis-à-vis a student/employee by a manager, faculty member, advisor, or administrator. The former is promised rewards or benefits such as a promotion or good grades in exchange for sexual favors. (Chia-Jeng Lu and Brian H. Kleiner, Discrimination and Harassment in the Restaurant Industry, International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, 2001
Hostile Environment
Secondly, sexual harassment occurs when the victim is faced with unwelcome conduct based on his or her sex. Such behavior can be verbal, non-verbal, visual, or physical. (This creates an uncomfortable, intimidating, hostile, or offensive work or learning environment.
Sexual harassment is a gender specific type of bullying. (Dan Riley, University of New England, Uralla, Australia; Deirdre J. Duncan, Australian Catholic University, Strathfield, Australia; and John Edwards, Ryde, Australia; Staff bullying in Australian schools, 2010).Indeed, the term bullying (Riley et al. (2009)), has been defined as repeated and persistent negative acts towards one or more individual(s) which involve a persistent power imbalance and create a hostile work environment.
Consequences of Sexual Harassment
Victims of sexual harassment can suffer significant psychological effects, including anxiety, depression, headaches, sleep disorders, weight loss or gain, nausea, lowered self-esteem and sexual dysfunction. They experience job-related costs as well: from job loss, decreased morale, decreased job satisfaction to irreparable damage to interpersonal relationships at work. In addition, in the higher education setting, student victims of sexual harassment may feel pressured to drop a class, change their major or minor, and experience physical and psychological distress. Overall, sexual harassment causes a tense and unproductive working and learning environment.
Costs to companies
• Harassment costs companies money by reducing productivity, morale and motivation. If a worker is constantly concerned that the harasser may strike again, she is unlikely to be able to work effectively. At the same time, colleagues who are not involved may be demotivated if they are aware of unacceptable goings-on, or fear possible favoritism.
• The costs of bad decisions related to harassment are difficult to quantify. These include the costs of appointing people because of their looks or compliance with "quid pro quo" demands, rather than skills and competence, the direct costs of perks and unearned increases for favorites, and hotel and travelling costs if women are taken along on business trips or to conferences for personal rather than business reasons.
• If word gets around that a company allows sexual harassment to go unchecked, the company's image among its staff, customers and the general public may also suffer.
Legal costs
• If a company has no clear policy on sexual harassment, it may also have problems if it needs to take disciplinary steps against a harasser. Lack of clear definition of unacceptable behavior would make it easier for a harasser to take the company to court to appeal against disciplinary steps or dismissal. In a case a few years ago a senior manager in a large South African company was dismissed when many years of serious harassment of more than a dozen women came to light. His behavior had cost the company heavily in terms of productivity losses, the cost of favors, and company image.
Personal costs
• Women who resign because of sexual harassment problems, often have difficulty getting good references from their previous employers, or giving reasons for having left their previous job; and may thus have difficulty in finding another position. Obviously, this could disrupt such a woman's entire life.
• Women, who resist harassment or complain, may be victimized, for example, overlooked for promotion. Thus this can hold back their career development and personal growth.
• The harassers themselves could fall into bad habits if their behavior is allowed to continue. This can negatively influence their effectiveness at work, their interpersonal relationships, their marriage, and their personal development.
