Sexual Abuse in the Workplace as an Ethical Issue Essay

Sexual abuse, assault, and harassment have become societal problems across the globe. The act involves bothering a person sensually, including unwelcomed sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, inappropriate statements, leering behavior, physical or verbal harassment of a sexually, and lewd gestures. It may also involve offensive images, objects, sexually explicit emails, jokes, or texts. It is unlawful to insult an individual in the place of work because of that person’s gender under federal law. The harasser may be a co-worker, the victim’s supervisor, or a client. Sexual abuse is a dangerous and unethical behavior that negatively impacts society; however, a few approaches can be followed to save the lives of many and prevent the offense from occurring again. Severe punishment, including life imprisonment and loss of monetary benefits, should be implemented to ensure that the occurrences are minimized at the workplace.

Sexual abuse in the workplace is rarely reported, although the incidents are prevalent. According to research, 38% of all women and 14% of men experience sexual harassment at their workplaces ¹. Many people who have gone through this have sought to quit a job, seek new job assignments, or change careers. 60% of females confess they have experienced unwanted sexual coercion, attention, crude conduct, or uncomfortable comments in the offices ². A majority of them never report the actions to the authorities or even to the internal management.

The impact of sexual misconduct in the workplace can be damaging in many ways. Employees that go through these traumatic incidents experience psychological symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, stress, and depression. They usually have physical issues, including sleep problems, headaches, weight loss or gain, and gastric problems. The effects can be significant and extend to other workers who were not even involved in the occurrence. Witnesses who view the happening may be life or on CCTV cameras may also feel the impact ³. They will likely suffer physical and mental harm and lose their working morale.

The company also incurs financial losses because of the reduced productivity of that particular staff. The organization may fire the offender as they resolve the issue. It can be costly to hire another employee to replace the one who conducted the mistake because a new training process is required to ensure that the new person catches up with the system. The fear can result in an increased rate of employee turnover. Additionally, it can do reputational harm that leads to loss of customers hence suffering market loss.

Sexual harassment at the workplace is still a persistent issue and, in many cases, goes unreported because the sufferers fear stigmatization and other adverse reactions that include disbelief, retaliation, and blame from other people. It is beneficial to prevent and have response mechanisms to sexual assault because they cause a lot of harm to a company in terms of cost and other losses ⁴. It is also ruinous indirectly through the turnover of both the victim and the harasser. Due to the investigation process, absenteeism may require the two parties and other witnesses from the office.

Employers should build a culture where employee respect is promoted, and sexual abuse is not tolerated. The change starts at the top; hence, leaders must lead by example. They should not be involved in these matters because this might make an organization sink due to how the authorities can handle an incident of this type done by one of the top managers ⁵. It is advisable to assess the offices, conduct climate surveys, hold people involved in rape cases accountable, and devote resources to prevent any attempts that may cause these eventualities.

Organizations should have policies that are comprehensively stated against any form of harassment. It should clearly outline unacceptable behaviors and the procedures to be followed when reporting the incidents. The human resource department must also assure the workers’ confidentiality since most fear reporting their cases due to the stigmatization or threats, they experience when their colleagues learn what happened to them ⁶. Multiple ways of communicating about harassment should be clarified to encourage people to air their voices. Disciplinary action should be proportionate to the offense as a sign of zero tolerance in the entity.

In the workplace, the incident should be reported to the management for action to be taken. The workers should stay vigilant and alert the bosses about sexually threatening behavior. It should be done in writing, and the date and time must also be documented. The easiest way to ensure the record is well kept is through emailing the appropriate person, specifically the human resource manager ⁷. This automatically guarantees a date and time signature that cannot be easily erased. It is also advisable to forward a copy of the email to your email and keep a printed copy. This is because some individuals tend to cover their colleagues in some incidences due to their relationships. It also ensures that the correct procedure is followed once external authorities take over the matter.

The report to the human resource department should be well-detailed, including the location of the assault. The incident is not a must to have occurred at their workplace because it might happen somewhere else, but one of their employees is involved. It can happen at a company-sponsored occasion, holiday party, or picnic ⁸. The fact the victim cannot remember all details does not mean that they are lying; it is possible to forget or leave out some particulars. Their minds might repress some memories to prevent them from feeling overwhelmed by the eventuality. It is part of their healing process. Hence, the sufferer should not be blamed for forgetting.

The victim should contact the police and file a case immediately after the abuse. It helps someone to record more details as they can remember. It is also an advantage to the investigating team since if there are bruises or other injury signs, they are still present and can be marked as part of the evidence. Photos can be taken at this level and preserved to aid the investigation process. The officers may request the offended to undergo a physical examination even though this might be uncomfortable ⁹. The process records the sustained injuries and provides irrefutable confirmation against the harasser.

The police then begin the investigations to determine sufficient verifications before they press criminal charges. The victim should remain available to the prosecutors and the police to provide answers to any queries that may arise until the examination is over. In some cases, the court’s finding may compensate the sufferer for their mental suffering and injuries ¹⁰. They might be entitled to receive reimbursement for missed time from work, medical expenses, and traumatic stress disorders they have gone through.

The human resource systems must install proper CCTV cameras to ensure employees feel safe. The workers are more productive when the work environment is peaceful and free from sexual threats. An organization should incorporate other external bodies that deal with violence and sexual assaults. These entities might provide them with educative programs that facilitate training for the workers and assure them of their justice if it happens to them ¹¹. The schedules are also helpful to everyone because they remind anyone intending to involve themselves in these kinds of offenses to avoid the severe consequences, they are likely to face if they commit the misconduct.

Victims who have experienced this kind of molestation should go through a counseling process that aids them in restoring their well-being. The procedure should involve professionals who can handle serious matters. Medical experts are also encouraged to closely follow up with them to ensure their total health is assured. The organization that is concerned should make arrangements for regular check-ups. This would assist the workers in building their trust in the workplace and their managers ¹². Good performance is also promised if the healthiness is well taken care of by the employer.

The employer’s responsibility is to ensure that justice is served to their employees whenever an issue related to sexual assault occurs. Unfortunately, it has become one of the most pervasive problems in the community. These eventualities affect both the victim’s and the organization’s productivity level. Programs that encourage victims to raise their voices when these incidences happen should be put in place to ensure the safety of the workers. Severe punishment must be practiced to discourage the occurrences, including loss of employment, lack of monetary benefits for the years worked, and imprisonment for the lawbreakers.

Bibliography

Fortado, Stephane. “Workplace Sexual Abuse, Labor and the# Metoo Movement.” Labor Studies Journal 43, no. 4 (2018): 241-244.

Kearl, H., N. E. Johns, and A. Raj. “Measuring# MeToo: A National Study on Sexual Harassment and Assault.” UCSD Center on Gender Equity and Health (2019): 1-43.

McGlynn, Clare, Erika Rackley, Kelly Johnson, Nicola Henry, Asher Flynn, Anastasia Powell, Nicola Gavey, and Adrian Scott. “Shattering lives and myths: a report on image-based sexual abuse.” (2019).

Mohammad, Nazli, and Yvonne Stedham. “Relationship between Cultural Values, Sense of Community and Trust and the Effect of Trust in Workplace.” arXiv preprint arXiv:2106.13347 (2021).

Raj, Anita, Nicole E. Johns, and Rupa Jose. “Gender parity at work and its association with workplace sexual harassment.” Workplace health & safety 68, no. 6 (2020): 279-292.

Footnotes

1. H Kearl, N E. Johns and A Raj, Measuring #metoo: A national study on sexual harassment and assault. Available from Stop Street Harassment. (2019).
2. Kearl, (2019).
3. Stephane Fortado, “Workplace Sexual Abuse, Labor and the# MeToo Movement,” Labor Studies Journal 43, no. 4 (2018): 241-244.
4. Nazli Mohammad and Stedham Yvonne, “Relationship between Cultural Values, Sense of Community and Trust and the Effect of Trust in Workplace,” arXiv preprint arXiv:2106.13347 (2021).
5. Nazli Mohammad and Stedham Yvonne. “Relationship between Cultural Values, Sense of Community and Trust and the Effect of Trust in Workplace.” (2021).
6. Anita Raj, Johns E. Nicole, and Jose Rupa, “Gender Parity at Work and its Association with Workplace Sexual Harassment.” Workplace Health & Safety 68, no. 6 (2020): 279-292.
7. Nazli Mohammad and Stedham Yvonne, (2021).
8. Nazli Mohammad and Stedham Yvonne, (2021).
9. Clare McGlynn et al., “Shattering Lives and Myths: A Report on Image-Based Sexual Abuse,” (2019).
10. Clare McGlynn et al., “Shattering Lives and Myths,” (2019).
11. Stephane Fortado, “Workplace Sexual Abuse, Labor and the# Metoo Movement,” Labor Studies Journal 43, no. 4 (2018): 241-244.
12. Mohammad, Nazli, and Yvonne Stedham. “Relationship between Cultural Values, Sense of Community and Trust and the Effect of Trust in Workplace.” arXiv preprint arXiv:2106.13347 (2021).