See why the best predictors of harassment are features of the organization, not the harasser
One in two workers are likely to have reported experiencing a form of sexual harassment for a period of time, according to a 2022 report by the Canadian Labour Congress.
There is little done by the organizations to address this issue and the root of the problem is how the issue is being viewed, says the report. “Sexual harassment is a human rights violation, yet too often it is framed as an interpersonal issue. As a result, organizations adopt solutions aimed at addressing individual behaviours, like building out reporting mechanisms or beefing up reprimands. Solutions that frequently fail. Punishing harassers is important, but only doing that means we only remedy sexual harassment one offender at a time,” the report says.
The resolutions also more often ‘ignores’ research indicating the best predictors of harassment are features of the organization, not the harasser. Thus, the report recommends considering changing the way organizations deal with workplace sexual harassment. It has shared some methods on identifying harassment as a start to finding resolutions from such cases.
Identifying forms of harassment
Organizations where men dominate the workforce are where sexual harassment is more likely to occur, according to the report. Such organizations tend to have cultures where the test of masculinity often occurs, meaning these are where people contest their capacity to take on heavier workloads, longer work hours, and unreasonable risks. “Masculinity contest cultures can compel individuals to preserve and protect their identities as ‘real men’ by harassing others,” the report noted.
Some examples of masculinity cult include being compelled to show no weakness, to exhibit more strength and stamina, and to repress emotions. Other examples are being penalized for taking more time off for health and family and demonstrating dog-eat-dog competition when considering one’s promotion.
Canadian human rights legislation requires employers to maintain harassment-free workplaces. However, organizations are more focused on achieving compliance as compared to working towards preventing sexual harassment. The report noted having a formal reporting process wouldn’t address sexual harassment in the workplace or prevent such cases. It has instead suggested leaning toward looking into climate surveys, which assess employee perceptions of leadership, culture and workplace interactions and experiences.
To address sexual harassment at the organizational level means addressing the systemic factors that contribute to sexual harassment. This could involve altering the processes in recruitment, training, and mentoring to promote better behaviour. For example, hiring more women and gender-diverse people could bring the organization to create a new environment where power and influence are shared.
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