How sexual harassment hinders company growth?

Harassment is defined as any behaviour that puts a person's mental health in jeopardy or causes them psychological anguish. There are more conversations than ever about harassment in general. Sexual harassment is an umbrella term for any verbal or non-verbal conduct of sexual nature. This could be anything from asking for sexual favours to any unwelcome physical contact, advance, or comments. Sexual harassment is a major issue whether it occurs at work or elsewhere. Organizations should put employees first and ensure that everyone gets to work in a secure environment.?

Sexual harassment and its effects on employees

Every worker has a right to an environment that is kind and supportive. Sexual harassment permanently alters a person's mental and emotional health and threatens their sense of self-worth. Victims of sexual harassment experience long-term effects like Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), anxiety, depression, or other chronic illnesses. As a result, the person experiences difficulty in trusting others which will directly affect their performance at work.

Sexual harassment causes psychological distress in an individual. People with acute stress are likely to exhibit symptoms of depression for an extended period without timely professional intervention. Other physical illnesses that one experiences in their lifetime as a result of sexual harassment include diabetes, weight gain or loss, inflammation, hypertension, body aches, and migraines.?

Victims, especially women, often end up leaving their jobs if their sexual harassment issues are not taken up seriously by the management. It is a disturbing situation to be in when the victim is left with no support and the abuser continues to be in the same position. The victims feel that even if their job is satisfactory, working along with a team that has let her down once cannot be trusted. Such women are put in a position to start their careers from scratch, sometimes in an entirely new domain. A former beauty pageant winner and actress quit the movie industry and relocated to the United States after being harassed by a veteran actor in 2008.?

The wake of #MeToo movement in 2018 encouraged many women to come forward and speak against their abusers. Some of the defendants remained in positions of authority, while others fought their cases in court. The discussions about the movement sparked controversies worldwide as many men and women came in support of the alleged perpetrators and criticised the victims for not speaking up earlier.?

The impact of sexual harassment on organizations?

Although the times are changing and more people are being vocal about the kinds of harassment they experience at the workplace, the situation is far from normal still. Bosses and authoritative men in many organizations have different ways of taking revenge on women who have denied their sexual advances. Women who resisted were assigned tough work and made to quit citing poor performance and by putting unnecessary pressure on them. Whenever a victim reports harassment, they are coerced into keeping quiet.?

According to a report by Gapjil 119, which campaigns against workplace abuses, more than eight out of 10 people who reported sexual harassment at the workplace said they suffered from some form of retaliation. A criminal defamation suit filed by a former union minister against a Bangalore-based journalist who accused him of sexual misconduct is a classic case of retaliation faced by victims for reporting sexual harassment. After the trial, the judgement made by a Delhi Court that women cannot be punished for raising voices against sexual abuse under the pretext of complaint of defamation was historical.?

The HR department needs to be strong and proper policies need to be in place to combat sexual harassment in the workplace. Leaving such complaints unaddressed will negatively impact the organization as employees feel unseen and unheard in a hostile environment. Such incidents clearly signify the organization’s failure to protect its employees. It also results in absenteeism and poor retention of employees. Managers need to enforce strict laws against sexual harassment and uphold them without showing any favouritism. All employees and employers need to have awareness of their rights and laws regarding sexual harassment. If such complaints are left unattended, the organization will end up having a bunch of resentful employees with absolutely no motivation. This will have a negative impact on the overall productivity of the organization.?

Combating sexual harassment for better growth?

It is inevitable that employers and employees work together to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace. For such challenges to be handled successfully, solid work ethics are necessary in addition to guidelines. The success of an organisation is largely determined by how well escalations are handled. When employee welfare is prioritised, an organization's foundation is strengthened. Avoiding the occurrence of sexual harassment is more important than combating sexual harassment. When the policies are strong and stringent action is taken against offenders, sexual harassment is sure to decline. Likewise, the focus should be given to protecting the victims so that they feel empowered to come forward and confront their perpetrators.?