The Chicago School Professional Psychology

Providing training about harassment has proven beneficial to the business environment. As the former EEOC Chairman stated “Sex harassment has developed as one of the great lessons in how education can have an effect on an offensive practice.” There are education campaigns educating not only employees but employers about what harassment entails, how to prevent it, and how to deal with a claim. (Glazer, 1996) In fact, most

Harassment has plagued the world for centuries. Why should the workplace be any different? Sexual harassment and workplace violence are not only of historical roots, but contemporary issues are still present in the workforce today. Managers are addressing and combating modern sexual harassment and workplace violence, however instances still occur (Robbins, Decenzo & Coulter, 2011).

“It takes a village to raise a child.” I never quite understood that saying when I was growing up, but my experiences teaching and working in school settings have showed me how true it really is. Obtaining a degree in school psychology will allow me to give the support that students, families and educators need to ensure that every student will thrive.

Sexual assault can be easily defined in the SHARP Handbook as “Intentional sexual contact characterized by use of force, threats, intimidation, or abuse of authority or when the victim does not or cannot consent. Sexual assault includes rape, forcible sodomy (oral or anal sex), and other unwanted sexual contact that is aggravated, abusive, or wrongful (including unwanted and inappropriate sexual contact), or attempts to commit these acts.” (Glossary, DoDD 6495.01, 23 Jan 12] ) While it may be easy to define it is not always so easy to detect or prevent.

Sexual harassment is always a legal topic in the work environment because the ramifications are so severe, but at the same time very abstract to describe what can constitute sexual harassment. This paper will take into consideration different elements of the law including Employment Law and cases tried before the U.S. Supreme Court. It will also offer suggestions for corrective action pertaining to the issue of sexual harassment in the workplace.

Sexual harassment is a demeaning practice, one that constitutes a profound affront to the dignity of the employees forced to endure it.  By requiring an employee to contend with unwelcome sexual actions or explicit sexual demands, sexual harassment in the workplace attacks the dignity and self-respect of the victim both as an employee and as a human being. Sexual harassment is well defined as an unwelcome sexual request for sexual favors and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature. In many countries, sexual harassment is considered a form of sexual abuse and employment discrimination. Sexual harassment is most prevalent is organizations both professional and academic, though it can occur almost anywhere.

What is sexual harassment? The Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network defines sexual harassment as, “unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature in which submission to or rejection of such conduct explicitly or implicitly affects an individual 's work or school performance or creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive work or school environment” (Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network, 2009). In the United States Sexual harassment is an illegal behavior and a form of discrimination based upon sex and forbidden within the workplace by the Civil Rights Act of 1964 under Title VII (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, n.d.) also within an educational institution by the Education Amendment Acts of 1972 under Title IX (United States Department of Labor, n.d.). There are two types of sexual harassment: quid pro quo and hostile environment. Quid pro quo sexual harassment is based upon sexual favors. In a work environment this type of harassment could be seen as a leader telling an employee they will not receive more salary, an advancement opportunity, or they may even lose their job if the employee does not follow through with the sexual favors. This type of sexual harassment could also be seen in an educational setting where an educator or member of the education system uses their place of position and power to get a student to perform sexual favors in order to receive a higher grade or even to

Any employee who feels that he or she has been subjected to sexual harassment should immediately contact the Human Resources Department for investigation and corrective action. Protection from retaliation will be provided and confidentiality will be provided as much as reasonably possible. Any employee who witnesses someone engaging in what could be deemed as sexually harassing conduct is obligated to notify the Human Resources Department even if the victim says that they can handle it or that they can take care of it themselves. Sexual harassment is an illegal act and must be reported and investigated just like any other illegal activity.

Another federal policy is The Campus Sex Crimes Act and Higher Education Opportunity Act both deal with sexual misconduct. While the Campus Sex Crimes Act ensures that all students, staff who are offenders register their conduct in a system, the Higher Education Act makes room for any disciplinary or investigative proceedings to be detailed to the victim or a next

The article “The Dark Triad and sexual harassment proclivity” consists of research that concerns the importance of individuals with tendencies that engage in sexual behaviors. It’s unfortunate that sexual harassment is even prevalent at such a high rate within our society. Moreover, it state that “44% of female and 19% of male federal employees report that they have been sexually harassed at work (United States Merit Systems protection Board, 1995). Consequently, there are results of sexual harassment within the job sector such as lack of job employment, lack of adjustment after the situations, and the like. Therefore, according to the article, researchers began to expand their understanding of sexual harassment and the causes of behavior that promote sexual harassment. More specifically, this article states “…Previous research has established that these traits are connected with aspects of sexual aggression (e.g. Figueredo, Gladden, Sisco, Patch, & Jones, 2015, Jones & Olderbak, 2014).

Over the years, different universities across the country has either modified their sexual misconduct policies or completely changed it. Most universities have a consent policy. “Consent is an agreement between people to permit an act or behavior.”(Health 1) Depending if the consent was an action or verbal, plays apart if the sexual act was rape. All universities sexual misconduct policy should be comprised of words and actions and have a “yes” means “yes” policy.

Based on the findings of the company TNA it was determined that there was a need for sexual harassment training of employees and supervisors. In the training on sexual harassment the areas covered were how to handle cases of sexual harassment, knowing if you were sexually harassed, and how to report harassment. Organizational results are the changes in key outcomes for the organization that can be linked to the training (Blanchard 2013). Training provided to employees

Organizations have an obligation to create a harassment free environment for its employees. Harassment doesn’t have to be of a sexual nature. An organization is liable if the harassment is so frequent or severe that it creates a hostile or offensive work environment or when it results in adverse employment actions such as the victim being fired, demoted, or transferred. Harassing a person based on their sex is illegal. Sexual harassment has a great impact on an employee’s productivity as well as poses a major impact on an organization’s finances in litigation.

In this research paper I would fully discuss what sexual harassment. I will start on the origin of sexual harassment and how it came into law. I will discuss what environment of sexual harassment looks like in the work place. The reader should be able to discover the different types of sexual harassment: Quid pro quo and Indirect. I will show you illustrated trends of sexual harassment in the work place over the years. I will discuss how sexual harassment affect both parties, meaning the employer and the employee. I will back up theses affects by laws that are set in place to protect the employee and hold the employer responsible. I will give an analysis on recent litigation involving sexual harassment in the workplace. In my conclusion I will give a recommendation on how to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace and what management can to protect their employees.

Another form of sexual harassment is a hostile work environment. The hostile environment theory involves sexual advances between the supervisor and the employee. An employee’s work performance will be less effective due to these so-called sexual advances. However, a victim can file a complaint against their harasser so that they do not continuously force them to participate. Consequently, they will be forced to hand in their resignation. [This is an issue of power and has nothing to do with sex. For this reason, both male and females can be the harasser. The harasser’s main purpose is to force another to feel or act in a certain way. Sometimes, sexual harassment causes an individual from effectively performing his/her job. As a result, is undermines an individual’s dignity. In our society, there are three essential factors that relate to the issue of sexual advances. These elements are a divergence of perceptions, the complexity of human behavior and the attitudes of a sexist.]