Facts
Sexual harassment is a serious offence and the greatest impediment to justice. The workplace has been rampant with cases of sexual violence, especially of women. Keenan is a representative of women going through sexual harassment at the place of work and her case is neither an innocent initiation nor a hostile work environment. She is openly experiencing sexual harassment under the pretext that the men are being friendly and welcoming her to the work environment. The EEOC guidelines and the Supreme Court rulings in 1998 establishes ground for affirmative defense against such acts of sexual violence. The approach involves a written policy on sexual harassment communicated to everyone at the place of work.
Keenan has a difficult task proving her case because the burden of proof lies with her. However, her claims cannot be dismissed as inconsequential or one that no action can be taken. Keenan explains that at her new position, the men have made their sexual advances at her, with some seemingly pinching her butts playfully. This has made her uncomfortable at her work place and at odds with the right course of action. The initial step she has taken to report the matter to Balance is a progressive step. The only stumbling block is the means to validate her story – especially if such a story is accurate or just a false claim against hardworking company professionals.
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Issue
The men speak lots of sex jokes around Keenan and ask her personal questions, which have sexual undertones like, “how is your sex life going Keenan?” Equally peeving, is the fact that the men have been sexually harassing women at the place of work and feel profoundly justified to engage in such atrocities with no consequence.
Analysis
The sexual harassment of women at places of work, whether consensual or otherwise is a contravention to human rights and professional code of ethics ( Moylan & Wood, 2016 ). Keenan states that the workplace culture accommodates for the harassment of women because the men have been abusing women for a long time, with no consequence. The workplace is in need of a change of workplace culture to make women comfortable at the place of work and prevent any form of sexual harassment against the women.
Sexual harassment at the workplace is reprehensible and considered a violation of human rights and appropriate legislation has been set to prohibit the act ( Moylan & Wood, 2016 ). The ramifications of sexual harassment at the place of work are dire: increased employee turnover and low workplace productivity are the immediate effects. Cases of sexual harassment at places of wok remain underreported and legislation incentives have not been able to completely eliminate the act (Wiener & Vardsveen, 2018). Therefore, Keenan represents women who face sexual harassment at their places of work and take affirmative action and Balance is her change advocate.
Group Analysis
Proper change management requires effective communication from the management and the company in general. Balance followed due process through communicating with the employees of the organization and making an inquiry to Keenan’s case. Before taking action, it is vital to make a comprehensive review of the code of ethics of the organization and the professional standards. In essence, women and all other employees should not feel violated or vulnerable to a particular group of employees. If anything, organizations should come up with an effective way of dealing with sexual harassment claims without falsely accusing employees or completely disregarding the standard operating procedures outlined in professional practice ( Lee, 2018 ).
Course of Action
The first cause of action is to investigate the claims of Keenan in order to validate that sexual harassment actually takes place at her place of work. This would involve interrogating the women at the workplace to validate Keenan’s claims or request her to present a witness who can validate her claims. Balance can also encourage the management of the organization to conduct a comprehensive survey with the aim of identifying a pattern of sexual harassment within the organization. Moreover, the organization can install a suggestion box in which employees and all members of staff drop their ideas for review of the management. This has the potential of enhancing honesty and implementing action against other employees who perpetrate sexual harassment at the place of work. The intention is to identify that sexual harassment actually exists in the organization ( Cantone & Wiener, 2017 ).
Decision
The employees perpetrating sexual violence against women should be fired from work and legal action taken against them. This is because sexual harassment is a violation of human rights. Moreover, there is need for effective change management in the organization. The workplace culture which accommodates the sexual harassment of women should be revamped to one that protects human rights including the respect for employees’ rights ( Mishra & Stair, 2019 ). Changing the workplace culture would involve all stakeholders: employees and the management of the organizations. Further, it would ensure that perpetrators of sexual harassment are brought to justice at the work place and women feel comfortable working at the organization.
Reference
Cantone, J. A., & Wiener, R. L. (2017). Religion at work: Evaluating hostile work environment religious discrimination claims. Psychology, Public Policy, and Law , 23 (3), 351.
Lee, J. (2018). Passive leadership and sexual harassment. Personnel Review .
Mishra, V., & Stair, E. (2019). Does power distance influence perceptions of sexual harassment at work? An experimental investigation. Psychological Studies , 64 (2), 235-246.
Moylan, C. A., & Wood, L. (2016). Sexual harassment in social work field placements: Prevalence and characteristics. Affilia , 31 (4), 405-417.
Wiener, R. L., & Vardsveen, T. C. (2018). The objective prong in sexual harassment: What is the standard?. Law and human behavior , 42 (6), 545.
