Introduction
Sexual harassment cases in the workplace are encountered across the world. Sexual harassment reduces quality of work, morale and performance of the workers. Many organizations have enacted workplace policies in order to combat the issue (McCann, 2005).
However, the sexual harassment continues to be a major issue in workplaces. The main problem that the following paper addresses is the complexity faced by organizations when handling sexual harassment cases.
President of Caritas Christi Health Care
The president of Caritas should be fired. This is because there have been at least ten women who have alleged having been sexually harassed by the president. In the organization, there are laws against sexual harassment that the president violated.
Sexual harassment in Caritas Christi involves “sexually charged looks and gesture and unnecessary touching of an individual” (Ivancevich, 2013, p. 90). The unnecessary touch includes hugging. According to Ivancevich (2013), the cases against the president are straightforward.
Complaints have been made in relation to the two issues that constitute sexual harassment in the organization. In addition, sexual harassment policy for Caritas Christ Health Care stipulates that violations should lead to a written warning, suspension, and termination.
Handling of Sexual Harassment Cases
The handling of sexual harassment cases is normally considered complicated due to the nature of issues that are concerned. For example, the cases should be evaluated on a case by case basis. This is because the cases are fact specific and sometimes subjective.
Sexual harassment cases turn directly on the credibility of the people involved; therefore, there is the need for witnesses in order to execute the issues. However, in many cases there are no people to witness. The other complication relates to the internal culture companies.
According to Ivancevich (2013), what is deemed variable varies by company; for instance, the president of Caritas Christ Health Care disputed the sexual harassment behavior as innocent reflections that are in line with the culture he was raised.
Consistency in Handling Sexual Harassment Claims
Sexual harassment cases have a damaging impact on the employees. If the cases are not addressed amicably, they have a direct impact on the profitability of the organization as the affected employees may decide to resign, or the rate of absenteeism may increase.
Mallow (2013) stated that there should be a clear policy to provide guidelines on how to deal with sexual harassment cases. Consistency upholds confidence in the organization. In addition, consistency ensures disciplinary measures correspond to the severity of the case.
Furthermore, it fosters an organizational culture and guarantees that the organization’s values are strictly adhered to by all employees. This helps in avoiding the consequences that arise when some employees such as the top salespeople are favored.
Application of Case Study in Foster Care
Children admitted in foster care may have been sexually abused. Most of the children do not understand that what they went through was wrong. Therefore, in my current position as a foster care caseworker, I could apply the case study to develop a policy framework to deal with people who may have sexually harassed the children.
The policy will have a clear definition of sexual harassment and outline the measures that should be applied to ascertain that a child was sexually harassed. This will help in addressing the gray areas that make it complicated to identify and litigate sexual harassment cases.
References
Ivancevich, J. (2013). Human resource management: Sexual harassment cases are becoming more complex. Boston: McGraw-Hill.
Mallow, M. (2013).Sexual Harassment in the Workplace: An Overview over the International Law and Current Law and Practice in Malaysia. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 3 (13), 2-7.
McCann, D. (2005). Sexual harassment at work: National and international responses. Geneva, Switzerland: International Labor Office.