Rules of respect must be enforced

Public assurances alone are not enough to stamp out sexual harassment in the workplace, writes Gary Martin

THE steady stream of people returning to the office is sparking disquiet that our increased in-person presence might see incidents of workplace sexual harassment soar.

The fear is that while ongoing public assurances from those in charge suggest much is being done to eradicate sexual harassment in our workplaces, behind closed office doors some bosses are shutting their eyes to the most obvious warning signals.

Sexual harassment is any form of unwelcome sexual behaviour that could make a person feel offended, threatened, humiliated or intimidated.

All would agree that there is increased awareness of sexual harassment in most workplaces. The sharp media focus on high-profile cases of abuse has motivated many organisations to deliver onetime training programs to employees to change attitudes and eliminate sexual harassment.

While there is little doubt such programs are vital to raising awareness, the go-to quick-fix approach adopted by many organisations falls short of what is required to snuff out the full range of inappropriate behaviours that pervade some workplaces.

Some workplaces are more prone to a higher incidence of sexual harassment than others and they share a number of characteristics – call them red flags, warning signs or high-risk factors. High-risk workplaces turn a blind eye to jokes and banter of a sexual nature even though the behaviour makes some employees feel uncomfortable or intimidated.

These workplaces also tend to have maledominated leadership teams, are hypermasculine in nature, tend to be more hierarchical to result in greater potential for abuse of power, and directly or indirectly encourage excessive alcohol consumption.

It is also the case that workplaces with “highvalue” type employees are at high risk. These “protected species” contribute significantly to the financial sustainability of an organisation but often have little regard to the quality of their relationships with colleagues, believing themselves to be exempt from the usual standards, rules and courtesies.

And high-risk workplaces exist when employees are hesitant to report abuse or believe their complaints will not be taken seriously and when perpetrators rarely face consequences. A message is sent across the entire workforce that bosses are willing to turn a blind eye to sexual harassment.

We need to be “eyes wide open” when it comes to looking out for the presence of high-risk factors that can make a workplace more prone to the toxicity, trauma and hostility and trigger sexual harassment.

While acknowledging the presence of high-risk factors and addressing other red flags will not eliminate sexual harassment altogether, paying attention to these warning signals is a positive step in the right direction to creating respectful, safe and inclusive workplaces.