Sexual harassment at workplace
As a youngster I
remember reading in ‘Readers Digest’ an article about sexual harassment of
women in uniform. The article reported a case of the U.S. female naval officer
being sexually harassed by her male colleagues. That was my first introduction
of what this ugly phenomenon could be like. I watched Demy Moore’s movie
disclosure and was shown another side of sexual harassment; though
realistically speaking it isn’t a common occurrence. But female sexual
harassment by male colleagues or superiors is a much common phenomenon then
actually admitted. In various cultures like the South East Asian or Middle East
these incidents are not reported for the fear of future repercussions for the
female involved but this nevertheless does not downplay the seriousness of the
issue.
Harassment basically
revolves around the abuse of power and misconceptions. You cannot be harassed
by someone who is less powerful than you or weaker. Intimidation can come from
a powerful entity rather a weakling. Male colleague’s particularly superior
officers consider their female subordinates as easy prey primarily because they
are aware of their social and economic circumstances. They tend to believe that
their indecent advances will be tolerated because the females is times is even
protected by the upper management who believes that publicizing such an episode
could adverse their reputation which in turn may reflect on their income
statements.
They fail to understand
that their neglecting such serious issue not only shatters the confidence and
working ability of the female worker but pushes her into depression and other
psychological disorders. The result is not only bad for the business entity
itself as it risks losing a valuable employee who can contribute to the overall
performance of the company. Though several managerial policies exist on company
handbooks regarding such incidents but none of them are implemented. The public
laws are often not useful for the lady in question especially if she belongs to
a conservative or male dominant society.
 |
| Sexual harassment at workplace |
The general notion is that she must
have initiated such an act. Who will do that to oneself unless she is insane? Another
common misconception is that a well dressed female with high heels or proper
fashion accessories is out there looking for male advances towards her. What
such people fail to understand is that women in general like to dress up and
look beautiful for their own satisfaction rather than to impress or encourage a
male colleague to make an undesired move on her.
It is absolutely essential
that stringent policies are made and implemented at workplace to avoid
occurrence of such incidents. Furthermore the female victims of these episodes
should not hesitate to report them to upper management or the law enforcement
agencies as per the need. Ignoring or tolerating such conduct is neither
beneficial for them nor for the other female workers performing their tasks in
such a workplace. You are the victim ladies in such incidents and not the
guilty parties so don’t fear but step forward and take action.
There are laws against Sexual Harassment in the workplace at least here in the US. Unfortunately the Armed Forces up until recently was not held to these standards! Until the guys of my generation are finally retired and out of the workforce this will still occur on occasion--they can't (not all of them) seem to get it into their heads that it is NOT ALLOWED, nor do they consider it harassment---And yes, do report it to your human resources person or your boss. There are classes that can be held to inform all employees about this issue.
ReplyDeleteIt is sad that this takes place but it is a problem that is definitely going on. Things like this make me appreciate being able to work from home.
ReplyDeleteI never had to deal with sexual harassment when working. I do feel bad for those who do.
ReplyDeleteI would venture to guess that most of the men doing the harassing are married and many with children....
I have to totally agree with you. Sexual harassment is so commonplace and such a degrading thing. My daughter considered going into the military but did not because of this.
ReplyDeleteA good article about sexual harassment, I wish more women would come out and accuse their harassers.
ReplyDeleteThat's right: Speak up for yourself! No one has the right to do things like that to you!
ReplyDeleteI've actually been sexually harassed by another female co-worker. I didn't really think about it that way until my boss found out and freaked out. He said even female to female is sexual harassment and that it is not acceptable. This person had bullied others as well, and was someone I just tried to avoid.
ReplyDeleteIt's sad that things are often blamed on the way someone speaks, dresses or acts.
ReplyDeleteI agree that much of the sexual harassment goes without reporting. As a women, it is difficult to deal with such treatment but the repercussions are sometimes worse. Some companies have no tolerance but others overlook the seriousness of it.
ReplyDeleteMore women should come forward!
ReplyDeleteIt's very important to educate women on this subject. I was harassed quite often as a teenager when I first started working by my male bosses. I didn't think to report it. If more women were educated, we could really cut down on the number of incidents happening!
ReplyDeleteI think it is very important that you report something like this. The only way it will ever do away with this is if people come forward.
ReplyDeleteAs someone who has dealt with this in the past, it is not a pleasant experience. I'm glad more companies, in the U.S. at least, are educating their employees on the issue.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, this happens more often than most people think. Something more women need to learn about how to protect themselves.
ReplyDeleteIt's so unfortunate in this day and age when females are the ones made to feel bad and that it's their fault they're getting unwanted attention from their male peers, friend and stranger alike. We need to teach kids at a young age this is NOT okay!
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, even if we have laws about sexual harassment, it's still quite common in the workplace. There are also women who choose to keep quiet about it, which is very sad but how can you blame them.
ReplyDeleteIt's very sad to hear sexual harassment in the office. Employees should be protected by the law with such violence, it is very traumatic especially for women.
ReplyDeleteEven with laws in place to protect women, it still happens. Most of the time it goes unreported until it becomes a huge problem.
ReplyDeleteI remember being harassed a few years ago. It was very difficult to go to work and not be happy. I ended up isolating myself and just doing what I felt I could physically do. I no longer could perform certain actions on the job. They gave me a hard time about it. I ended up laid off.
It's so sad to hear about this going on. I think everyone needs more protection while at work. I hope that everyone knows when to speak up too, because this is not okay.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in the army we would have classes on what could be constituted as sexual harassment and while it is more common than you think, what is sexual harassment is also a lot broader than you think as well.
ReplyDeleteThis is a post worth sharing. There are a lot of people out there who are being taken advantage without them knowing it. This topic also serves as an important part during training at all of my past jobs.
ReplyDeleteI quit a job because of that. I should have turned him in, but I opted to just get the heck out of there.
ReplyDeleteGood article on sexual harassment. This is something that happens way too much!
ReplyDelete