Sexual Harassment at the Workplace

Sexual harassment policy in the United States has taken an active approach toward eliminating sexual harassment. Harassment in the workplace occurs enough that the implementation of a policy against it has been created. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) of the United States works to ensure that harassment in the workplace is against the law.

Since the guidelines against harassment in the workplace have been enforced, the rate at which people have been harassed has decreased. Sexual harassment policies exist in almost all businesses throughout the United States today. Some states even require that businesses have a sexual harassment policy in order to operate.

The problem of harassment in the workplace happens for many reasons. Most work environments require that individuals work among each other for a long period of time. This closeness can promote people to cross boundaries that they would not normally cross. The area of professionalism can sometimes turn gray when employees are placed in situations where they depend on a person to be successful.

For example, a secretary to a busy executive often carries a lot of the executive’s weight and without the secretary, an executive oftentimes cannot function. This relationship may cause a lapse in judgment from either one of the individuals and the mutual respect can be quickly turn into harassment.

Other reasons harassment in the workplace occur are because of superiority issues. If a person feels that they have power and control over an individual and their job, sexual harassment may take place.

The existence of a sexual harassment policy does not always stop a person from harassing another in the workplace. A harasser may be having personal issues and act stupidly toward an employee at the wrong time. Nevertheless, that victim has the right to report it if they feel violated.

Typically, harassment in the workplace occurs against women. The difference in statistics between men and women is drastic, with women harassment statistics reaching the high thirtieth percentile out of all women. Men harassment statistics do not reach into the double digits at all. There are theories to support this notion that attribute harassment cases to those between superiors and subordinates. Men are overwhelmingly the ones in superior positions throughout the American workforce. Women supervisors, however, are also harassed in the workplace.

To crack down on sexual harassment, Government organizations exist on local, state, and Federal levels. The EEOC is the most prominent governmental force that protects individuals in the employment sector.

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