Have you ever been the victim of workplace harassment that was directed at you because of your gender or another characteristic? It usually isn’t the action of just one individual, often it’s the culture of the employer or department that makes the harasser comfortable in his or her actions. The negative effects of harassment extend beyond the employee being harassed. The company often feels the effects of low morale, decreased productivity, and fewer benefits of a diverse workforce. A culture that permits or ignores harassment is dysfunctional and is evident to customers, vendors, investors, and prospective employees. Customers that are not turned off by the negative atmosphere may be driven away by the poor quality of customer service resulting from low morale.

Knowing what is and what is not acceptable and being sensitive to others ’ feelings is extremely important. Policies and procedures for harassment need to be clearly communicated. Supervisors or coworkers must report any harassing behavior they observe. Managers need to take complaints seriously and investigate all claims of harassment. Education and training play an important role in cultivating an environment free of harassment. 

But what if you believe you are being harassed? Anyone can be a victim. Telling the offender to stop might be enough. That person may be unaware of your sensitivity to the language, jokes, e‐mails, or other behavior. If that doesn’t work, report the behavior to your supervisor or another manager, to labor or employee relations, or to the president of the company if you have to. Some people may fear that their complaints will be ignored or that reporting an incident will cause future problems. Neither should happen. Most companies take all complaints of sexual harassment seriously and investigate each thoroughly and discreetly. Retaliation against accusers is prohibited.

Ethical questions:

What are your own limits concerning questionable language, jokes, or teasing? Do you have the same standards in the workplace? What are your views of those whose standards are either more or less tolerant of questionable language, jokes, or teasing? How might these differences in perspective cause problems?